LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Sitting Hours

Ben Chapman: To ask the Leader of the House how many representations have been made to his Office which are (a) for and (b) against (i) the present sitting hours of the House and (ii) September sitting of the House.

Peter Hain: Most of the representations I have received on these matters have been oral and informal, and have not been recorded by my Office. And many could not be simply categorised as entirely for or against the changes.

TREASURY

Banking Payments System

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give new powers to the Office of Fair Trading to enable it to address competition issues within the banking payments system; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The Government announced in the pre-Budget Report that the Office of Fair Trading will shortly take on an enhanced role in relation to payment systems for a period of four years. The Government will not legislate to give the OFT new statutory powers to carry out this enhanced role. However, the Government will review competition in the industry after a period of four years and legislate unless there has been significant improvement. Further details on these proposals will be announced by the OFT in due course.

Banking Payments System

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what evidence he has based his decision to adopt a non-legislative route to tackle competition issues within the banking payments system; and if he will make the evidence public.

Ruth Kelly: Since the publication of the Cruickshank report on Competition in UK Banking, the payments industry has made moves to address some of the competition concerns the report identified, in areas such as price transparency, wholesale pricing, access, and governance. In addition, in response to the findings of the Competition Commission report into SME banking, the OFT has negotiated agreements with the main clearing banks to improve conditions for competition and consumer choice in SME accounts. Finally, the OFT is currently investigating the interchange fee arrangements in the MasterCard credit and charge card schemes under the Competition Act 1998. The OFT will continue to use Competition Act powers where appropriate to address competition concerns in this sector.
	However, the Government recognises that problems remain and that an increased focus on competition in the industry would deliver significant benefits. It believes that the OFT could provide this focus and address the remaining concerns, in advance of any legislation. The Government therefore announced in the pre-Budget Report that the Office of Fair Trading will shortly take on an enhanced role in relation to payment systems for a period of four years. The Government will then review competition in the industry and legislate unless there has been significant improvement. Further details on these proposals will be announced by the OFT in due course.

Banking Payments System

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with (a) the banking industry and (b) small business organisations in relation to competition within the banking payments system.

Ruth Kelly: Ministers and officials regularly meet representatives from the banking industry and small business organisations and discuss a range of issues, including competition in payment systems.

Iraqi Money

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are being taken to trace funds which may have been deposited in UK banks by members of the former Iraqi regime; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: All financial institutions in the UK have been obliged to identify and freeze Iraqi funds since August 1990. The implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1483, 22 May 2003, subsequently required that such funds be transferred to the Development Fund for Iraq, with serious penalties for non-compliance.
	While active monitoring continues, this process is now largely complete. To date the UK has transferred £112 million to support the reconstruction effort in Iraq. If further such funds were identified, they would be immediately transferred to the DFI.

Income and Corporation Taxes Act

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures have been used by the Inland Revenue to notify small businesses of their obligations under section 660A of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue's Trusts Settlements and Estates Manual is publicly available and contains some guidance on this. Further detailed guidance (with examples) of the interpretation and application of Section 660A Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 was published in Tax Bulletin 64 in April 2003 and was followed by further explanations and examples in November and December 2003. More guidance will be in the February edition of Tax Bulletin.

Income and Corporation Taxes Act

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue has been raised under section 660A of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 in each of the past six years.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available.

Income and Corporation Taxes Act

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the impact that backdating payments under section 660A of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 will have on small businesses.

Dawn Primarolo: Section 660A Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 applies to individuals. By paying tax under this section for earlier years individuals are simply paying the tax that would have been due if they had not sought to avoid tax.

Income and Corporation Taxes Act

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many inquiries the Inland Revenue has received from small businesses in regard to section 660A of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available.

Income and Corporation Taxes Act

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies have (a) been investigated for possible contraventions of section 660A of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 and (b) had action taken against them as a result in each year that the Act has been in operation.

Dawn Primarolo: None. Section 660A Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 applies to individuals not companies.

Income and Corporation Taxes Act

Brian Cotter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent information has been made available to small businesses about how section 660A of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 will be applied; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue's Trusts Settlements and Estates Manual is publicly available and contains some guidance on this. Further detailed guidance (with examples) of the interpretation and application of Section 660A Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 was published in Tax Bulletin 64 in April 2003 and was followed by further explanations and examples in November and December 2003. More guidance will be in the February edition of Tax Bulletin.

National Statistics

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the (a) names of, (b) positions of and (c) length of pre-release access for Office for National Statistics staff, excluding those who have pre-release access to the retail sales first release and the associated briefing under the (i) pre-release access arrangements and (ii) Macro-Economic Statistic Service Level Agreement.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Dr. Vincent Cable, dated 23 December 2003
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the list of (a) names, (b) positions and (c) length of pre-release access for Office of National Statistics (ONS) staff, excluding those who have pre-release access to the retail sales first release and the associated briefing under the (i) pre-release access arrangements and (ii) Macro-Economic Statistic Service Level Agreement. (143374)
	Pre-release access to official statistics is tightly controlled and, in the normal course of events, restricted to those who are involved in the statistical production and dissemination process. A number of staff in the ONS will, in the course of their duties, have access to the results before their public release—be they collectors, compilers, IT staff, reprographics staff, publication staff, or myself and my senior colleagues. To compile the names, positions, and length of pre-release access for all these staff, and for each release, would incur disproportionate cost.
	Access has not been provided to persons in the ONS outside the list above, except where explicitly provided for in the National Statistics code of practice, and the protocol for release of statistics.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum and Immigration

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  on what grounds children of asylum seekers would be taken into care under his proposals to change asylum laws;
	(2)  who will be responsible for the care of children removed from the care of asylum seekers;
	(3)  whether the children of failed asylum seekers removed from their parents will be deported contemporaneously with their parents;
	(4)  what funding will be made available for local authorities responsible for the care of child asylum seekers.

Beverley Hughes: There is nothing in the Bill which changes in any way the grounds on which children may be taken into care. The Bill simply provides that families, illegally resident in the UK once their claims have failed, would no longer be entitled to support at the expense of the taxpayer if they refuse opportunities to leave the country. If, by putting themselves in this position, parents put their children at risk, it would be for the local authority to decide how the interests of their children should be protected under existing child protection legislation. We do not believe that many, if any, parents would put their children in this position. If this were to happen the costs would be met by central Government. We intend that in all cases the children concerned would be removed along with their parents.

Asylum and Immigration

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of UK immigration policies on the health services of developing countries, with particular reference to Malawi; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: International healthcare recruitment makes a key contribution to the delivery of services in the NHS. It can also benefit the migrant and the country of origin; but in certain contexts, migration of skilled workers, including health professionals, can have negative impacts. For that reason, the Department of Health, in consultation with the Department for International Development, has published a Code of Practice for NHS employers involved in international recruitment of healthcare professionals. This seeks to ensure that developing countries such as Malawi and countries suffering significant skill shortages of their own are not targeted.

Asylum and Immigration

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the numbers likely to be imprisoned under Clause 2 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Bill.

Beverley Hughes: The offence is intended to act as a strong deterrent. For anyone who nevertheless arrives undocumented without reasonable excuse, the possibility of prosecution will exist. Enforcement and prosecution guidelines will be developed for this offence.

Asylum and Immigration

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department where, in his proposals for a new asylum and immigration appeals system, the burden of proof will lie for establishing that a person has destroyed their documents.

Paul Goggins: For the criminal offence in clause 2 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Bill, it will be for the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the offence of arriving undocumented has been committed. It will be a defence for the defendant to prove that he or she had a reasonable excuse for not being in possession of a document.
	Clause 6 of the Bill on claimant's credibility sets out various behaviours that a deciding authority must take into account when considering an asylum or human rights claim, including the destruction of a document without reasonable explanation. It will be for the deciding authority to come to a view, based on all the relevant information (including explanations provided by the applicant), as to whether one of these behaviours is present.

Asylum and Immigration

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his latest estimate is of the number of asylum seekers in the United Kingdom; and how many of them are illegal asylum seekers.

Beverley Hughes: Information on the total number of asylum seekers currently in the UK, including failed asylum seekers, is not available. This could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records. In addition some applicants may leave the United Kingdom without informing the Immigration Service.
	There is no official estimate of the size of the illegally resident population in the United Kingdom. The Government have commissioned research into the methods used in other countries to estimate the size of the illegal population in order to define methods appropriate for the UK.
	The work required is challenging because, by definition, illegal migrants fall outside of official statistics and are therefore difficult to measure. People illegally present in the UK are also motivated to ensure they remain hidden, which is a challenge to conducting research.
	The number of cases (principal applicants) awaiting initial decision or awaiting appeal determinations continues to fall as the level of applications falls, initial decisions continue to outstrip the number of applications, and record numbers of appeals are determined by the IAA.
	Information on asylum applications is published quarterly. The next publication will be available at the end of February 2004 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Asylum and Immigration

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of asylum applicants granted (a) asylum, (b) exceptional leave to remain, (c) humanitarian protection and (d) discretionary leave arrived in the United Kingdom without travel documents or other identity documentation in the last year for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: The information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, management information indicates that, in the first half of 2003, undocumented arrivals (which may include dependants) represented in the region of 70 per cent. of port asylum cases.
	Information on asylum initial decisions is published quarterly. The next publication will be available at the end of February 2004 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Asylum and Immigration

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many instances there have been of asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo being deported to their homeland and refused entry in the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: Information on the number of failed asylum seekers who were returned to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and subsequently refused entry there is not available. However, the Immigration Service does not attempt to effect an individual's removal unless it is satisfied that the individual concerned is assured of entry in their final destination.
	Deportations are a specific subset of removals alongside persons subject to administrative removal, removal due to illegal entry action or those refused entry at port and subsequently removed. Information on the nationality of those people removed as a result of deportation action is not available.

Asylum and Immigration

Iain Coleman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers have been deported to Gaza in each of the last 12 months; and to which (a) ports and (b) airports they were returned.

Beverley Hughes: I regret that this information is not available. It is not possible to identify separately Gaza within the available statistics on removals of unsuccessful asylum seekers from the United Kingdom.

Asylum and Immigration

Iain Coleman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been refused support in each of the last six months under section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.

Beverley Hughes: The information is not available in the form requested.
	Section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 came into force on 8 January 2003, restricting the availability of NASS support to those asylum seekers who make an asylum application as soon as reasonably practicable.
	Figures in respect of asylum seekers refused under Section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 are for each quarter:
	
		
			  Number of cases refused under Section 55 of the NIA Act 2002 
		
		
			 2003  
			 Quarter 1 2,850 
			 Quarter 2 1,830 
			 Quarter 3 2,810

Asylum and Immigration

Iain Coleman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers from (a) Somalia, (b) Afghanistan and (c) Iraq have been deported in each of the last six months.

Beverley Hughes: Deportations are a specific subset of removals alongside persons subject to administrative removal, removal due to illegal entry action or those refused entry at port and subsequently removed.
	Estimates of the number of nationals of Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq who had sought asylum at some stage and who were removed between January and June 2003 are shown in the table. These figures include persons departing 'voluntarily' after the initiation of enforcement action against them, and persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Returns Programmes run by the International Organization for Migration.
	
		Removals and voluntary(1)departures of asylum applicants, excluding dependants, of Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq, January to June 2003(2),(3),(4)
		
			 Nationality January February March April May June Total 
		
		
			 Afghanistan 20 15 30 45 60 40 210 
			 Iraq 20 35 40 45 25 20 175 
			 Somalia * 5 * * 5 5 25 
		
	
	(1) Includes persons departing "voluntarily" after enforcement action had been initiated against them, persons leaving under Assisted voluntary return programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration, and removals on safe third country grounds.
	(2) Figures rounded to the nearest five with * = 1 or 2.
	(3) Data have been estimated due to data quality issues
	(4) Provisional figures
	Information on the nationality of asylum seekers removed from the United Kingdom during the third quarter of 2003 will be published at the end of February 2004 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www. homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Asylum and Immigration

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with which countries the (a) UK and (b) EU has agreements concerning the re-documentation of illegal immigrants found in the UK.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 4 December 2003
	Re-documentation agreements are not necessary to enable us to return to most countries. Wherever possible (and this is the case with more than 160 countries), we return using the EU laissez passer, because this is the simplest and quickest approach. But where third countries do not accept the EU letter, we have sought to conclude a range of informal or formal agreements.
	The UK signed its first three bilateral readmission agreements with Romania and Bulgaria in February 2003 and Albania in October 2003. These agreements are due to enter into force in 2004. We will continue to negotiate bilateral readmission agreements and less formal re-documentation arrangements in order to facilitate removals operations.
	In addition, at EU level, the Commission has been authorised by the Council to negotiate Community readmission agreements with 11 third countries: Morocco, Sri Lanka, Russia, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Macao, Ukraine, Albania, Algeria, China and Turkey. The first of these is due to enter force in 2004.

Asylum and Immigration

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal entrants have been discovered at (a) Dover and (b) other UK ports in the last 12 months; and what percentage have been removed forthwith.

Beverley Hughes: Locally collated, provisional management information, which may be subject to change, indicates that 2,950 illegal entrants were detected at or close to the port of Dover having entered clandestinely between 1 January 2003 and 30 September 2003. 7.9 per cent. of those detected, 230 did not claim asylum and were speedily removed to their continental port of embarkation. In the corresponding period during 2002, before the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act was passed, and before we put in place a wide range of measures, including deployment of new detection technology and enhanced juxtaposed controls, there were 8,370 detections of which 4 per cent., 340 did not claim asylum and were removed immediately.
	Similar information for ports outside of Dover indicates that 280 were dealt as clandestine illegal entrants between January and September 2003. We do not routinely break down the percentage who do not claim asylum and who are immediately removed.
	We expect that the phased implementation of full juxtaposed controls will further reduce the number of people able to enter the UK illegally.

Asylum and Immigration

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of UK ports have more than 10 full-time UK immigration officials in post.

Beverley Hughes: As of the 1 September 2003, there were 3,119 full-time equivalent Immigration Officers employed by the UK Immigration Service. Of these 2,394 Immigration Officers were deployed at the UK ports of entry.
	The remainder were engaged in other immigration activity, including enforcement, intelligence gathering and detention.
	At 33 points of entry into the UK where the Immigration Service has permanent staff a total of 26 ports, 79 per cent. have more than 10 full-time Immigration officials in post.
	Where there is no permanent presence at ports Immigration Officers attend on a risk-assessed, intelligence-led basis.

Child Protection Referrals

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many child protection referrals have been made to local area child protection committees by each young offender institution since January.

Paul Goggins: Data on the number of child protection referrals made to local area child protection committees from each juvenile establishment since January 2003 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Establishment Number of child protection referrals 
		
		
			 Ashfield 20 
			 Brinsford 47 
			 Brockhill 0 
			 Bullwood Hall 11 
			 Castington 16 
			 Eastwood Park 5 
			 Feltham 51 
			 Hindley (5)— 
			 Holloway 9 
			 Huntercombe 6 
			 Lancaster Farms 4 
			 New Hall 5 
			 Onley 19 
			 Parc 24 
			 Stoke Heath (5)— 
			 Thorn Cross 0 
			 Warren Hill 11 
			 Werrington 43 
			 Wetherby 15 
		
	
	(5) Figures not currently available

Corporate Killing

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the likely impact of a corporate killing Bill on British business.

Paul Goggins: The results of the Regulatory Impact Assessment are still being assessed but the preliminary indications are that the costs of a change in the law will not be large. As we have made clear, no new burdens will be placed on companies in terms of the standards with which they will be legally required to comply. We will continue to refine the RIA in the context of our proposals for legislation.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter to him dated 30 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. J. Ferns.

David Blunkett: I responded to my right hon. Friend on 16 December 2003.

Correspondence

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham of 15 September, reference PO 13772/3.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 16 December 2003
	I replied to the hon. Member on 17 December 2003.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter to him dated 4 November from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. R. Amjad.

David Blunkett: I responded to my right hon. Friend on 12 December 2003.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter to him dated 4 November from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Riaz Amer.

David Blunkett: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 12 December 2003.

Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to place the findings of the 2002 exercise on crime and disorder reduction partnerships and their implications for nuisance and noise associated with fireworks in the Library; whether he has conducted a similar exercise for 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: I have placed copies of the Home Office Fireworks Monitoring Report in the Libraries of the House today. We have no plans at present to repeat this exercise.

Custody Death Investigations

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken to ensure that investigations into deaths in prison or police custody are (a) independent, (b) thorough, (c) in compliance with relevant mental health standards and (d) respond to the concerns of the families of the deceased.

Paul Goggins: An external team investigates all deaths in prison custody. Out of area investigations are recommended as good practice. A review of investigations into deaths in custody has resulted in some investigations being led by an investigator independent of the Prison Service or with the support of a multi-agency advisory panel. In two recent cases the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has been commissioned to conduct an investigation and plans are in hand to transfer the function to him.
	Prison Service staff leading investigations into deaths in custody attend two training courses, the first covering investigations generally and the second dealing specifically with investigating deaths in custody. Two detailed and comprehensive Prison Service Orders (1300 "Investigations" and 1301 "Investigating death in custody") provide guidance and advice to ensure that investigations are thorough.
	Through its partnership with the Department of Health, the Prison Service is working to establish links locally and nationally with the National Institute Mental Health England (NIMHE) in implementing Standard Seven "Preventing Suicide" of the National Service Framework for Mental Health published in 1999. Learning lessons and changing practice as a result of the thorough investigations that follow a death in custody is a key factor in this framework.
	Investigators always offer to meet bereaved families and investigation reports are disclosed to families in consultation with the Coroner before the inquest. In order to provide greater insight and explanation for bereaved families, investigators are now required to include families in the investigation process.
	Deaths in police custody are subject to investigation under the statutory complaints system set out in the Police Act 1996 and police forces voluntarily refer all such deaths to the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) to oversee the investigations undertaken.
	Under the provisions of the Police Reform Act 2002, a new police complaints system will be implemented on 1 April 2004. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) will replace the Police Complaints Authority. Under the new system, all deaths in police custody which involve potential misconduct from a member of a police force must be referred to the IPCC, whether or not a complaint has been made.
	Depending on the circumstances of the case, the IPCC can investigate the incident using its own investigators, or it can choose to manage or supervise a police investigation. The IPCC and the police will have all the necessary powers and will be expected to conduct thorough investigations which comply with all relevant standards.
	Complainants and other interested persons—including family members—will have the opportunity to participate in the conduct of an investigation and will have a right to be kept informed of its progress and outcome.

Highly Skilled Migrants

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many highly skilled migrants have been accepted in each year since the inception of the highly skilled migrant programme, broken down by country.

Beverley Hughes: The highly skilled migrant programme was launched on 28 January 2002. As at 30 November 2003 a total of 8,628 applications have been received. From 28 January to 31 December 2002—1,194 applications were approved. From 1 January to 30 November 2003—3,864 applications have been approved.
	Current management information limitations do not, at present, provide a breakdown in the format requested. However, up to 30 August 2003 the number of applications received for the top 10 nationalities were as follows:
	India—832
	United States of America—751
	Nigeria—454
	Pakistan—381
	South Africa—319
	Australia—307
	Zimbabwe—176
	Canada—153
	China People's Republic of—126
	Russia—123

Identity Fraud

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have been (a) arrested, (b) charged and (c) convicted as a result of the actions taken by the Immigration Crime Team against suspected identity hijackers on 8 October 2002; what the sentence was in each case; and how many passports were recovered in the operation.

Beverley Hughes: Operation Wisdom, targeting individuals who have obtained passports using the identities of dead children, was co-ordinated by the National Crime Squad and involved 18 UK police forces and the Immigration Service.
	On 8 October 2002, 30 individuals were arrested, 12 were charged and 16 others were identified as suitable for removal under Immigration Act powers, five of whom received police cautions. Sentences for others on conviction ranged from seven days to 11 months.
	Some 100 further arrests have since been made as the result of on-going work by the agencies involved.
	No central record was kept of the number of passports recovered in the operation.

Judicial Review

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which decisions by his Department were challenged by judicial review in each session since 1997; and in how many cases the (a) Department's decision was upheld by the court, (b) court found for the applicant, (c) Department submitted to the judgment and (d) Department appealed successfully against the decision.

Beverley Hughes: This information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Juvenile Offenders

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many juvenile prisoners have been refused early release on home detention curfew because they had no suitable accommodation in each of the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: Data on the reasons for juvenile prisoners being refused early release on home detention curfew are not collected centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Juvenile Offenders

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children have been transferred out of secure training centres to prisons for reasons of bad behaviour in each of the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: The following table shows the number of juveniles transferred from Secure Training Centres to Young Offender Institutions for reasons of bad behaviour in each of the last 12 months.
	
		
			 Month Number of children transferred 
		
		
			 December 2002 0 
			 2003  
			 January 1 
			 February 3 
			 March 3 
			 April 4 
			 May 0 
			 June 0 
			 July 5 
			 August 5 
			 September 1 
			 October 4 
			 November 2

Juvenile Offenders

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on the use of special cells in young offender institutions; and if he will place copies in the Library.

Paul Goggins: The Home Office has only received letters from Amnesty International regarding the use of solitary confinement for juveniles. These letters are private correspondence and cannot be placed in the Library without the consent of the originator.

Paedophiles

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there have been of paedophiles as a result of photographs taken of children at (a) school nativity plays, (b) school sports days, (c) other community based sport activities, (d) school drama and cultural activities and (e) other community based drama and cultural activities in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 16 December 2003
	The information requested is not available centrally.
	There is no definitive list of offences relating to paedophilia. The information collected centrally simply relates to a range of offences (including those involving direct contact with the victims and others that do not) against victims of a variety of ages, some of which span the legal age of consent to sexual activity, and details of the nature of the offences are not collected.

Prison Education

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent progress has been made in improving adult prisoner (a) literacy and (b) numeracy.

Paul Goggins: Since April 2003, prisoners have achieved around 28,000 qualifications in literacy, language and numeracy. At this rate, the 2003–04 target of 36,600 qualifications will be exceeded by March 2004. As a result prisons have been set an ambitious but achievable target of 60,000 basic skills qualifications for 2004–05.

Prisons (Suicide Prevention)

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the budgets of HM Prison Service establishments holding females has been specifically dedicated to suicide prevention in each of the past 10 years.

Paul Goggins: The Prison Service's efforts to reduce the numbers of self-inflicted deaths in prisons are supported by a number of broader strategies for which money is allocated at a national level. It is not, therefore possible to identify the resources that have been allocated to suicide prevention specifically.
	A proactive three-year programme to develop policies and practices to reduce prisoner suicide and manage self-harm in prisons commenced in April 2001. The main principles of the strategy apply across all types of prisons and prisoners whether male or female. An investment of over £21 million through the three-year programme is enabling physical improvements (now 75 per cent. complete) to be made at six 'Safer Local' pilot sites, one of which is the women's prison and YOI Eastwood Park. At Eastwood Park where there is a centrally funded Project Manager, £1.5 million has been dedicated to Reception and the Healthcare Centre, while a further £1.5 million is being spent on installing safer cells (cells which contain specially designed furniture and fixtures which are manufactured and installed to make the attachment of ligatures very difficult).
	A targeted and separate suicide prevention and self-harm management strategy is being developed specifically for women prisoners. In addition £1 million from the Department of Health has been allocated to the Women's Estate to be spent on the recruitment of psychiatric nurses, and 11 out of the 17 prisons for women now have mental health in-reach facilities.
	Brockhill, Eastwood Park, Holloway, New Hall and Styal prisons were among the first establishments to have full-time, dedicated Suicide Prevention Co-ordinators (SPCs). All women's prisons now have a designated full-time or part-time SPC. All women's establishments deliver suicide awareness training to staff.

Sexual Offences

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on (a) offences for which sexual activity in public lavatories may be prosecuted and (b) the suitability of those offences for dealing with such behaviour.

Paul Goggins: Sexual activity in public lavatories will be covered by a specific new offence in section 71 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Persons engaging in such activity may also commit the existing common law offence of outraging public decency or an offence under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986. The Government believe that sexual activity in public lavatories is unacceptable and the new offence will cover any activity that:
	"a reasonable person would, in all the circumstances but regardless of any person's purpose, consider to be sexual".
	The maximum penalty will be six months imprisonment, or a level five fine, or both.
	The new offence will not require that someone should be caused "alarm, distress, or offence" by the activity, which is a requirement of section 5 of the Public Order Act. Similarly, the common law offence contains a requirement that the conduct must be lewd, obscene or disgusting. While it is a requirement that it should not be inordinate, the common law offence does not have a maximum penalty and so could be used to prosecute more serious cases where the conduct is particularly unacceptable. This offence has been made triable summarily, as well on indictment, by the Criminal Justice Act 2003 which should give greater flexibility in its use.

Terrorism

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost to date has been of detaining suspects held under Part 4 of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001.

Paul Goggins: The approximate cost from 19 December 2001 to 16 December 2003 of detaining those held under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 is £905,000.
	The cost of holding a detainee in prison is equivalent to the cost of holding a prisoner in the same establishment.

Unregistered Ships

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been stopped trying to enter the United Kingdom on unregistered ships in each of the last 10 years.

Beverley Hughes: The information requested is not available and could be obtained only by examination of individual case-files at disproportionate cost.

Women Prisoners

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that gender specific suicide and self-harm figures are (a) reported to Parliament and (b) monitored by the Women's Estate Policy Unit.

Paul Goggins: Women's Estate Policy Unit monitor female prisoner suicide and self-harm figures, and will be producing a report for 2003–04 which will be lodged in the Library.

Women Prisoners

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under HM Prison Service's plans to manage the Women's Prison Estate geographically instead of functionally (a) what safeguards will be put in place to ensure that the needs of women prisoners are responded to appropriately, (b) what steps he will take to ensure that the budget set aside for the operational group remains ring-fenced for work with women in prison and (c) what specialist staff, with particular reference to those with skills and experience in suicide and self-harm prevention, mental health and detoxification for women will be maintained.

Paul Goggins: The Director of Operations will formally take responsibility for the Women's Estate from 1 January 2004 in order to facilitate a smooth transfer to the new arrangements on 1 April 2004. The Prison Service will retain a dedicated policy and management group to ensure that the needs of women prisoners are met across the prisons estate. The Director of Operations will hold responsibility for the work of that group which will be headed by a senior operational manager who reports directly to him. The new management structure will be appropriately funded to reflect the particular needs of women in custody.
	The details of the staffing arrangements for the new structure are still being worked out but the women's policy and management group will include specialist staff with knowledge and skills in the prevention of suicide and self-harm and in the treatment of drug abuse and mental illness.

Women Prisoners

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of children under 18 years of age whose mothers are in prison, where the mother is the child's primary carer.

Paul Goggins: The most recent information available on this matter is derived from a survey of 301 white and Afro-Caribbean (or mixed-race) female prisoners who were drug users. This survey was carried out in 2001 and published in 2003. It showed that 70 per cent. (211) had children under the age of 18. Between them, the 211 mothers had 473 children. This suggests that, for every female prisoner, there are roughly 1.5 children in the community. The same survey also indicates that, prior to going to prison, 60 per cent. of the female prisoners who were mothers had been looking after their children at home.

Women Prisoners

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to survey the women's prison population to determine prisoners' home locations in order to facilitate resettlement.

Paul Goggins: I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to a Question from my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Redcar (Vera Baird) on 8 December 2003 (141620).

Women Prisoners

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Government's strategy is for improving the level of support available to prisoners who have been victims of (a) domestic violence and (b) sexual abuse.

Paul Goggins: A range of support is offered to prisoners who report that they have been victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse. This includes: individual support and/or counselling; the provision of advice or information; and referral to appropriate outside agencies.
	The Prison Service is currently seeking to improve the level of support offered. The specific initiatives include drawing up good practice principles for support services; developing links with community agencies and ensuring that assessment of risk is included in the sentence planning process.

Women Prisoners

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in extending the First Night in Custody Project from HMP Holloway to all female prison establishments.

Paul Goggins: The First Night in Custody Project at Holloway prison is part of a range of interventions across the women's prisons estate designed to reduce levels of suicide and self-harm as well as provide support and advice for women with a range of family, housing and other personal issues. These interventions are focused on prisons with a local function. There is no single model; the way in which the programme is delivered reflects local needs and circumstances, but important lessons have been learned from the Holloway project.

Women Prisoners

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the female prisoners who committed suicide had previously been identified as at risk through the use of the HM Prison Service form F2052SH in each of the past four years.

Paul Goggins: All of the women who took their own lives in prison from 1 January 1999 up to 8 December 2003 had been on an open F2052SH (self-harm at risk form) at some point during their period of imprisonment. The number of these women who were on an open F2052SH at the times of their deaths is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Calendar year Number of female self-inflicted deaths (SIDs)(6) Number of female SIDs on an open F2052SH at the times of their deaths Proportion of female SIDs on an open F2052SH at the times of their deaths (per cent.) 
		
		
			 1999 5 2 40 
			 2000 8 3 38 
			 2001 6 4 67 
			 2002 9 3 33 
			 2003(7) 14 9 64 
			 Total 42 21 50 
		
	
	(6) The Prison Service employs the term 'self-inflicted death' rather than 'suicide'. This includes all those deaths where it appears the person may have acted specifically to take his/her own life
	(7) To 8 December 2003
	The general prison population, and the women's estate in particular, contains a very large number of prisoners exhibiting a combination of factors which raise their risk of suicide: these include psychiatric disorders, relationship problems, previous abuse and family background problems; and histories of self-harm, drug and alcohol abuse and homelessness. As women tend to be the primary carers in their families, concerns about child care arrangements and associated issues also come to the fore with imprisonment.
	Any member of staff who has cause for concern that a prisoner may be at-risk can open an F2052SH and it is mandatory to open an F2052SH following any incident of self-harm. The inherent vulnerability of many women in custody, combined with the high levels of self-harm in the women's estate, results in a very large number of women prisoners presenting themselves as requiring special care, and being made subject to F2052SH procedures. However, staff caring for women prisoners face exceptional difficulties in distinguishing between those women who are intensely vulnerable and those who may be actively suicidal.
	To address this issue, the F2052SH system is under review. The pilot of a replacement care planning system will begin in January 2004 at five establishments, one of which is the women's prison and YOI Low Newton. The potential replacement for the F2052SH aims to build on the successful aspects of the existing system, yet be more flexible and task teams of specially trained staff to assess the level of risk that at-risk prisoners present.
	In parallel with the review of the F2052SH, information booklets and posters to improve staff understanding of the issues surrounding self-harm have been widely distributed, and detailed guidance for staff on how to manage and care for prisoners who self-harm, as well as a video discussing self-harm, are under development.

Women Prisoners

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure (a) that women prisoners have equal access to bail information and (b) that the information available is consistent and accurate.

Paul Goggins: All the remand prisons in both the male and the female estate have bail information schemes through which all new remand prisoners are made aware of the help available. All female remand prisoners have equal access to bail information schemes and assistance in seeking bail.
	Bail information schemes provide information to courts to assist with decisions on individual prisoner's bail applications. The information provided will therefore vary from prisoner to prisoner, but in each case the information must be verified as accurate before being sent to the court.

Women Prisoners

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what counselling and support is available in women's prisons to assist prisoners who have been victims of (a) domestic violence and (b) sexual abuse.

Paul Goggins: A survey carried out by the Prison Service in 2003 demonstrates that a wide range of support is given across the prison estate to women who report that they have been abused. This includes offering women individual support and/or counselling; the provision of advice and information and referral to appropriate outside agencies. Individual establishments work closely with local community agencies with specialist expertise in abuse issues. The support offered to individual women who report that they have suffered any kind of abuse and have asked for help, will be determined following a full assessment of their needs.
	The support offered varies between establishments and reflects local circumstances. The Prison Service is currently working with a small group of local practitioners, including both prison staff and voluntary agencies, to develop good practice principles so that consistency in the standard of support offered can be achieved. This work will be completed by March 2004 and will draw on a recently published literature review by Carol-Ann Hooper (2003), from the University of York on "Abuse, Interventions and Women in Prison".
	In addition, examples of specific work being done for women who are the victims of domestic violence include working to help women avoid going back into circumstances that are high risk for violence when they are released and the provision in many establishments of posters/helpline information supplied by local domestic violence networks.

Working Holidaymakers

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many working holidaymakers have been accepted in each of the last two years for which figures are available, broken down by country of origin.

Beverley Hughes: Information on the number of working holidaymakers admitted to the United Kingdom, during 2001 and 2002, is given in the table.
	
		Passengers given leave to enter the United Kingdom as working holidaymakers, by nationality, 2001 to 2002(8)
		
			  Total Australia Canada New Zealand South Africa Others 
		
		
			 2001 35,775 16,820 2,885 5,295 8,830 1,945 
			 2002(8) 41,700 17,175 3,205 4,935 13,235 3,150 
		
	
	(8) Provisional
	Note
	Data rounded to nearest five.

DEFENCE

"Delivering Security in a Changing World"

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect on Northern Ireland of the Defence White Paper, "Delivering Security in a Changing World"; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The Defence White Paper sets out our analysis of the future security environment, its implications for defence, and how we intend to adapt our planning and force structures to meet the potential threats. It says:
	"The Armed Forces will continue to support the Police Service for Northern Ireland's public order and counter-terrorist operations for as long as they are needed. We will reduce the level of forces committed to this task as soon as the improving security situation and the capability and confidence of the PSNI allow.
	Ultimately, our aim is to achieve a situation where an element of our deployable force structure is permanently based in Northern Ireland, just as throughout the rest of the United Kingdom."

Aircraft Carriers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the plan to reduce the size of the two Royal Navy aircraft carriers.

Adam Ingram: Final decisions have yet to be taken on the main specifications for CVF. The programme is currently in its Assessment Phase, which is aimed at increasing the maturity of the design as well as optimising capability and value for money. The size of the vessels will continue to evolve as the design matures to meet the required capability.

Armoured Vehicles

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the operational availability is of (a) FV430 series, (b) CVR (T) and (c) Saxon, broken down by unit; and what the overall availability targets are for these vehicles.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Arms Contracts

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the allegations of fraud and bribery in relation to the Al Yamamah arms contracts.

Adam Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 3 November 2003, Official Report, column 429W, to the hon. Members for Leyton and Wanstead (Harry Cohen) and for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb).

Army Strength

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the present shortfall is in army personnel.

Ivor Caplin: The strengths and requirements of the Army are available in Tri-Service Publication (TSP) Number 3 entitled UK "Armed Forces Strengths and Trained Requirements"
	A copy of the publication is available in the House of Commons Library.
	The most recent copy contains details as at 1 November 2003.

Army Strength

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current deployed strength is of (a) Queen's Royal Hussars, (b) 1st Battalion, The Light Infantry, (c) 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Wales, (d) 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, (e) 1st Battalion, The Royal Scots, (f) 26 Regiment Royal Artillery and (g) 35 Engineer Regiment.

Adam Ingram: As at 11 December 2003, the deployed strength of the above units was as follows:
	
		
			 Unit Deployed strength 
		
		
			 Queen's Royal Hussars 517 
			 1st Battalion, The Light Infantry 773 
			 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Wales 556 
			 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment 516 
			 1st Battalion, The Royal Scots 330 
			 26 Regiment, Royal Artillery 490 
			 35 Engineer Regiment 668

Attitude Surveys

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of respondents to the last assessed Royal Navy/Royal Marine Continuous Attitude Survey responded (a) A great deal, (b) Quite a lot, (c) Partly, (d) Not very much and (e) Not at all to Question 21; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The information requested is drawn from the May 2003 edition of the Continuous Attitude Survey.
	
		
			  Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Royal Navy   
			 Great deal 179 19.40 
			 Quite a lot 407 44 
			 Partly 268 29 
			 Not very much 49 5 
			 Not at all 8 0.90 
			 Total 911 98.50 
			 Royal Marines   
			 Great deal 14 17.10 
			 Quite a lot 37 45 
			 Partly 23 28 
			 Not very much 6 7 
			 Not at all 2 2.40 
			 Total 82 100.00

Attitude Surveys

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of respondents to the last assessed Royal Navy/Royal Marine Continuous Attitude Survey responded Yes to Question 25.4; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The information requested is drawn from the May 2003 edition of the Continuous Attitude Survey.
	I should point out that question 25.4 in the September 2002 survey appears as question 29.2 in the last assessed survey.
	
		
			  Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Royal Navy   
			 Yes 58 6.30 
			 Responses 907 98.10 
			 Royal Marines   
			 Yes 6 7.30 
			 Responses 80 97.60

Attitude Surveys

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many respondents to the last assessed Royal Navy/Royal Marine Continuous Attitude Survey who responded Yes to Question 25.4 then responded (a) I do not think people would believe me, (b) I was worried that there would be recriminations from the perpetrator(s), (c) I was worried that if I reported it the problem would get worse, (d) I did not believe anything would be done about it, (e) I was worried that reporting it might affect my career and (f) I considered the incident(s) to be too minor to report to Question 28; how many respondents identified (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three, (iv) four and (v) five of the possible options; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The information requested is drawn from the May 2003 edition of the Continuous Attitude Survey. I should point out that question 28 in the September 2002 survey appears as Question 32 in the last assessed survey.
	
		Royal Navy
		
			  Number Percentage 
		
		
			 a. I did not think people would believe me 38 9.90 
			 b. Worried about recriminations from the perpetrators 43 11.20 
			 c. Worried the problem would get worse Not an option in May2003 CAS 
			 d. Did not believe anything would be done about it 64 16.70 
			 e. I was worried reporting it might effect my career 64 16.70 
			 f. I considered the incident too minor to report 59 15.40 
			 Total number of responses to all options—383   
		
	
	
		Royal Marines
		
			  Number Percentage 
		
		
			 a. I did not think people would believe me 1 3.40 
			 b. Worried about recriminations from the perpetrators 5 17.20 
			 c. Worried the problem would get worse Not an option in May2003 CAS 
			 d. Did not believe anything would be done about it 5 17.20 
			 e. I was worried reporting it might affect my career 5 17.20 
			 f. I considered the incident too minor to report 5 17.20 
			 Total number of responses to all options—29   
		
	
	
		Breakdown in terms of single and multiple options
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Royal Navy  
			 1 option 70 
			 2 options 20 
			 3 options 35 
			 4 options 9 
			 5 options 14 
			 Royal Marines  
			 1 option 9 
			 2 options 1 
			 3 options 1 
			 4 options 0 
			 5 options 0

Attitude Surveys

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of respondents to the last assessed Royal Navy/Royal Marine Continuous Attitude Survey responded (a) Very satisfied, (b) Satisfied, (c) Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, (d) Dissatisfied and (e) Very dissatisfied, to (i) Question 4, (ii) Question 7, (iii) Question 10, (iv) Question 11, (v) Question 12, (vi) Question 38, (vii) Question 39, (viii) Question 40 and (ix) Question 42; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The information requested is drawn from the May 2003 edition of the Continuous Attitude Survey:
	
		Royal Navy
		
			  Very satisfied % Satisfied % Neither % Dissatisfied % Very dissatisfied % Total responses 
		
		
			 Q4 12.50 47.60 23 11.70 4 925 
			 Q7 8.20 33.40 25.40 16.40 12.60 925 
			 Q10 4 37.30 32.60 18.80 6.20 925 
			 Q11 36.20 49.10 10.70 2.80 0.90 925 
			 Q12 5.00 31.50 26.20 21.30 15.20 925 
			 Q38 2.40 24.80 19.20 35.10 18.30 925 
			 Q39 1.70 25.70 21.60 34.80 15.50 925 
			 Q40 1.60 24 22.20 34.60 17.30 925 
			 Q42 4 40.40 33.30 16.50 4.80 925 
		
	
	
		Royal Marines
		
			  Very satisfied % Satisfied % Neither % Dissatisfied % Very dissatisfied % Total responses 
		
		
			 Q4 12.20 40.20 29 11.00 7 82 
			 Q7(9) 3.70 36.60 34.10 7.30 1.20 82 
			 Q10 6 36.60 28.00 22.00 7.30 82 
			 Q11 37.80 51.20 9.80 0.00 1.20 82 
			 Q12 1.20 31.70 30.50 20.70 14.60 82 
			 Q38 0.00 26.80 23.20 26.80 23.20 82 
			 Q39 0.00 19.50 25.60 37.80 17.10 82 
			 Q40 0.00 17 31.70 30.50 20.70 82 
			 Q42 0 23.20 48.80 14.60 3.70 82 
		
	
	(9) At the time of the administration of the survey, Minimum Time Ashore applied to rates from Leading Hand to Warrant Officer only, Able rates being governed by Separated Service guidelines.
	From 1 April 2004 the Separated Service guidelines will apply to all.

Attitude Surveys

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of respondents to the last assessed Royal Navy/Royal Marine Continuous Attitude Survey responded (a) I am leaving and I have already given notice, (b) I am planning to leave but I have not yet given notice and (c) I am considering giving notice to Question 17; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The information requested is drawn from the May 2003 edition of the Continuous Attitude Survey:
	Intentions with regard to future career in Royal Navy/Royal Marines.
	
		
			  Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Royal Navy   
			 I am leaving and have already given notice 28 3.00 
			 I am planning to leave but I have not yet given notice 53 5.70 
			 I am considering giving notice 75 8.10 
			   
			 Royal Marines   
			 I am leaving and have already given notice 3 3.70 
			 I am planning to leave but I have not yet given notice 14 4.90 
			 I am considering giving notice 12 14.60

Attitude Surveys

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of respondents to the last assessed Royal Navy/Royal Marine Continuous Attitude Survey responded (a) 70, (b) 77 and (c) 82 to Question 18; what the five reasons most often cited under "Other" were; how many respondents ticked (i) two and (ii) all three of the above answers; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The information requested is drawn from the May 2003 edition of the Continuous Attitude Survey:
	
		
			  Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Royal Navy   
			 (a) No. 70—Had always intended to leave after this period of time 21 5 
			 (b) No. 77—Wish to take up another career 81 19.50 
			 (c) No. 82—Other 71 17.10 
			   
			 Royal Marines   
			 (a) No. 70—Had always intended to leave after this period of time 1 2.30 
			 (b) No. 77—Wish to take up another career 10 23.30 
			 (c) No. 82—Other 7 16.30 
		
	
	The total number of responses to all options—456.
	Respondents ticking (i) two and (ii) all three of the above answers:
	
		
			  (i) (ii) 
		
		
			 Royal Navy 36 6 
			 Royal Marines 0 1 
		
	
	Five external reasons most often cited under the "Other" option:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Royal Navy  
			 1. General disillusionment/dissatisfaction with lifestyle 19 
			 2. Concern about marriage and children/life outside of work 11 
			 3. Pay 9 
			 4. Promotion prospects 8 
			 5. RN has changed for the worse 6 
			   
			 Royal Marines  
			 1. Dissatisfaction with lifestyle 3 
			 2. Concern about marriage and children/life outside of work 1 
			 3. Job satisfaction 1 
			 4. Promotion prospects 1 
			 5. To travel 1

Chemical Weapons (United Kingdom)

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what quantities of chemical weapons are stored in the UK; whether Agent Orange has ever been (a) stored in the UK and (b) used by UK forces; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The United Kingdom gave up its offensive chemical weapons programmes in 1956. No chemical weapons are stored in the United Kingdom. However, from time to time old chemical weapons from the Second World War, and before, are recovered. These are taken to Dstl Porton Down where they are declared to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and then destroyed in accordance with our obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
	The United Kingdom does not possess Agent Orange. As far as can be ascertained from historical records, it has never been used by UK forces and has not been stored in the UK.

Decommissioning (UK Naval Ships)

Peter Mandelson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the Government's policy is regarding the break-up, recovery and recycling of United Kingdom naval vessels;
	(2)  which United Kingdom naval vessels have been broken up over the past five years; and where each vessel was broken up;
	(3)  which United Kingdom naval vessels are being considered for breaking up;
	(4)  what criteria are used to determine where work to break up United Kingdom naval vessels is carried out.

Adam Ingram: When declared surplus to requirements, named RN ships are sold via the Ministry of Defence's Disposal Services Agency (DSA). The DSA actively promotes sales on a Government-to-Government basis but, if a buyer cannot be found, vessels may be sold by means of a competitive tender exercise and bidders may include parties interested in scrapping the vessels. Of all the vessels sold over the past five years, the following (including Royal Fleet Auxiliaries) were sold for breaking:
	
		
			  Financial year Scrapped in: 
		
		
			 HMS Birmingham 2000–01 Spain 
			 HMS Beaver 2000–01 Turkey 
			 RFA Olwen 2000–01 India 
			 RFA Olna 2000–01 India 
		
	
	When disposing of surplus vessels, the Government's policy is to comply with all national and international environmental legislation (including the Basel Convention) while ensuring the maximum return for the taxpayer.
	The DSA is currently examining disposal options for HMS Intrepid, one of which is a sale for scrapping overseas.

Defence Fire Service

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the Defence Fire Service stations located in Scotland; how many (a) civilian personnel and (b) service personnel are employed at each; how many have been employed at each in each year since 1997; what the personnel costs were for (i) each of the stations, (ii) the DFS in Scotland and (iii) the DFS in total in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Defence Fire Service stations located in Scotland are completely manned by civilian personnel. The locations and numbers employed at each station since 1997–98 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Numbers of Personnel 
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Faslane 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 
			 Coulport 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 
			 East Riggs 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 
			 Lossiemouth 29 30 30 30 30 30 30 
			 Leuchars 49 49 49 49 45 44 37 
		
	
	In addition there are three other stations at RAF Buchan, RAF Kinloss and RAF Saxa Vord which are manned by service personnel.
	I will write to the hon. Member with details of the number of service personnel and personnel costs and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Depleted Uranium

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Depleted Uranium Oversight Board was first set up.

Ivor Caplin: The formation of the Depleted Uranium Oversight Board (DUOB) was announced by the then Under-Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Kirkcaldy (Dr. Moonie) on 26 September 2001. The first meeting took place on 27 September 2001. Details of the Oversight Board including all minutes to meetings since September 2001 can be found on its website at www.duob.org.uk.

Depleted Uranium

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what health and safety guidance is given to Service men and women in relation to their work where areas may be contaminated with depleted uranium; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: As required by the United Kingdom health and safety legislation, specific instructions are prepared for each operation or situation in which MOD Service or civilian personnel may encounter depleted uranium contamination. The instructions issued for the recent deployment to Iraq (Operation Telic) are on the Department's website at: www.mod.uk/issues/depleted uranium/gulf safety instructions.htm
	Earlier safety guidance is also on the Department's website at: www.mod.uk/linked files/gulf du safety guidance.pdf

Equipment Upgrades

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there will be further investment in and upgrades of (a) SkyNet 5, (b) Bowman, (c) Falcon and (d) Watchkeeper.

Adam Ingram: All of these equipment projects are due to come into service on an incremental basis in the period from 2004 to the end of the decade. Our first priority is to ensure that the currently planned capability (including planned upgrades where appropriate) is brought into service on time and to cost. We keep all our equipment capability requirements under review and will consider making further investment in, and upgrades to, these assets if that were the best way of meeting our future capability requirements. For Skynet 5, where we have contracted for service provision for a period of 15 years under PFI arrangements, the contractor will need to invest to meet his service obligations and is incentivised to provide technology refresh during the course of the contract.

Fair Trade Products

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is the policy of his Department to use fair trade products, as a matter of course, in (a) sales on Departmental premises and (b) receptions and meetings involving staff and visitors.

Adam Ingram: The Government are committed to supporting ethical trading wherever possible, and provide support to the Fair Trade Foundation's efforts in promoting the supply and marketing of Fairtrade products, but does not provide specific advice on this issue to departments. The Ministry of Defence does not have a specific policy related to the use of these products.

Future Rapid Effects Systems

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the plan to procure future rapid effects systems, with particular reference to (a) costs, (b) efficiency and (c) potential for storage.

Adam Ingram: The future Rapid Effects System project is currently in the Concept Phase. The Department is considering how best to take forward the requirement and will have regard to all relevant factors in determining the future direction of the programme.

Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make an announcement on the contract for the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft project.

Adam Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 9 December 2003, Official Report, column 356W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle).

Harrier Aircraft

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the withdrawal of Sea Harrier fighters over the next five years.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 February 2002, Official Report, column 1453W to the hon.Member for Broxtowe (Dr. Palmer).

Harrier Aircraft

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on (a) the availability and (b) the value for money of spare parts for RAF GR7 and GR9 Harriers compared with Sea Harriers.

Adam Ingram: The availability and value for money of spares for the Harrier GR7/9 are comparable to those of the Sea Harrier. The current availability of spares fully meets our requirements.

Harrier Aircraft

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on (a) repair and (b) upgrading of RAF Sea Harrier fighters within the last 18 months.

Adam Ingram: The maintenance and repair of the Sea Harrier is undertaken at a variety of locations: operating units (first and second line); the Defence Aviation Repair Agency (third line); and a number of aerospace companies in the United Kingdom (fourth line). Maintenance work falls into a number of categories, some is preventative or routine, other work is based around fault diagnosis and rectification. The wide range of information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	No Sea Harrier upgrade programme has been undertaken in the last 18 months and there are no plans for one in the future.

Harrier Aircraft

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much he estimates it would cost to adapt the planned RAF GR7 and GR9 Harriers to accommodate (a) air-to-air radar and (b) the beyond visual range advanced medium range missile system.

Adam Ingram: There are no plans to further enhance the air defence capability of the RAF's Harrier GR7/9 fleet. However, it is estimated that the cost of fitting air to air radar and the beyond visual range advanced medium missile system to these aircraft would be in excess of £600 million.

Harrier Aircraft

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to provide RAF GR7 and GR9 Harriers with further air defence capabilities in addition to the provision of Sidewinder missiles.

Adam Ingram: When the Harrier GR7 fleet is upgraded to GR9 standard it will be optimised for the offensive support role rather than air defence. Harriers will continue to carry the very capable Sidewinder AIM 9-L missile, but we currently have no further plans to enhance the air defence capabilities of the GR7 or GR9 Harriers.

HMS Echo/HMS Enterprise

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on why (a) HMS Echo and (b) HMS Enterprise are not in service; for how long they will be laid up; and what the annual cost of their (i) repairs and (ii) crew is.

Adam Ingram: HMS Echo was accepted into service on 17 October 2003. HMS Enterprise was accepted from the prime contractor, Vosper Thornycroft in September 2003 and is expected to enter service in the third quarter of 2004. Both vessels' in-service dates have been delayed by design and production difficulties at the shipbuilder and subsequent technical difficulties. Neither vessel is laid up; however, HMS Enterprise's trials programme is currently on hold because of technical problems with her propulsion system. She is expected to resume her trials programme in April next year and in the meantime her crew are using the time to undertake training and vessel familiarisation.
	These ships are maintained under novel contractor logistic support arrangements, the annual costs of which are commercially sensitive and I am withholding them in accordance with Exemption 7 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, which relates to effective management and operations of the public service.
	The annual crew costs for both vessels is approximately £3.8 million, excluding seagoing allowances and training costs.

Iraq

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many road traffic (a) accidents and (b) deaths involving UK services personnel there have been in Iraq in each month since March; and how many military vehicles have been (i) written off and (ii) damaged in road accidents in Iraq since March. [R]

Adam Ingram: The following table provides the information requested.
	
		
			 Month Total RTAs involving UK forces in Iraq Total UK military fatalities as a result of an RTA in Iraq Total vehicles beyond economic repair after being involved in RTAs in Iraq 
		
		
			 March 81 0 3 
			 April 77 0 2 
			 May 57 1 1 
			 June 65 0 2 
			 July 101 0 0 
			 August 75 0 3 
			 September 53 0 3 
			 October 54 0 0 
			 November 23 1 0 
		
	
	The number of vehicles that have been damaged in Road Traffic Accidents, but are not beyond economic repair, is not held centrally and would be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many claims for compensation have been submitted by Iraqis in connection with fatalities allegedly involving British Forces since 1 May.

Adam Ingram: Iraqis have submitted 23 claims for compensation in connection with alleged fatalities involving United Kingdom Forces since the 1 May 2003. Of these, seven have been repudiated, 13 are still under investigation, and three have received compensation payment.

Iraq

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much compensation has been paid by UK authorities in (a) Basra and (b) all of Iraq for injuries caused by UK forces; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 9 December 2003
	Of the 73 claims submitted for compensation by Iraqi civilians claiming to have been injured by United Kingdom Forces since 1 May 2003, 15 have been rejected, 39 are still under investigation and 19 have received payment. Of the 19 successful claims, seven were paid to people in Basra (total £2,000) and 12 were paid in the rest of Iraq (total £4,625).

Iraq

Helen Liddell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give an update on United Kingdom operations in Iraq as part of Operation Telic.

Adam Ingram: United Kingdom Forces continue to mount security operations in Iraq. Recent operations against smuggling, for example, have been a considerable success and were widely welcomed by the Iraqi people. Our forces are also closely engaged in developing Iraq's own security capabilities so that Iraqis can take greater responsibility for their own security. Already more than 10,500 Iraqi police are on patrol in the Multinational Division (South East), and more are being trained; other Iraqi security personnel are guarding vital infrastructure, facilities and coastline.
	I refer my right hon. Friend to the statement to the House of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 15 December 2003, Official Report, column 1302, for the most recent announcement on troop deployments.

Iraq

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the level of deployment of (a) armoured Land Rovers, (b) Puma helicopters and (c) Gazelle helicopters to Iraq in relation to the number of British troops in the area.

Adam Ingram: United Kingdom forces in Iraq currently operate 208 armoured Land Rovers. The helicopter fleet includes six Gazelles and six Pumas.
	We keep equipment and force levels under constant review, but there are no immediate plans to significantly alter the Land Rover or helicopter fleets.

Iraq

Helen Liddell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the UK (a) naval and (b) air components deployed in the Gulf.

Adam Ingram: There are two Royal Navy frigates deployed to the Gulf, currently HMS St. Albans and HMS Norfolk, and a supporting Royal Fleet Auxiliary, currently RFA Bayleaf.
	The air assets deployed to the region are six Tornado GR4s, two VClOs, two Hercules C130Js, one HS125 and three Nimrod aircraft.

Kosovo

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the security situation in Kosovo.

Adam Ingram: The overall security situation in Kosovo is stable. Within the secure environment provided by KFOR, the International Community continues to develop the capacity of the Kosovans to provide their own security, including through the Kosovo Police Service.

Legislation

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of (a) primary and (b) secondary legislation sponsored by his Department in 2002–03 was introduced to implement EU requirements.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence did not sponsor any primary legislation during the 2002–03 session.
	In the case of secondary legislation the Department was responsible for the making of 11 general statutory instruments, none of which was introduced to implement EU requirements.

Military Personnel (Psychiatric Treatment)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list private mental health establishments used by his Department for treatment of military personnel in each of the last six years; and what the cost was in each year.

Ivor Caplin: The private mental health establishments that have been used by the Ministry of Defence for treatment of military personnel, referred from secondary care, in each of the last six years were:
	Harrogate Clinic (Cygnet); Newcastle Nuffield; Lindisfarne; The Priory Altrincham; Middleton St. George; Cheadle Royal; Marchwood Priory Southampton; The Retreat (York); Priory Hospital (Chelmsford); Foxleigh Grove (Maidenhead); Tree's Park; The Priory Glasgow; The Priory Ticehurst and The Priory Bristol.
	The total costs in each year are detailed in the table. The costs shown are actual outturn prices.
	
		
			 Financial year Total cost £ 
		
		
			 1998–99 114,000 
			 1999–2000 173,000 
			 2000–01 261,000 
			 2001–02 176,328 
			 2002–03 91,441 
			 2003–04(10) 155,234 
		
	
	(10) Cost up to and including November 2003
	Some additional referrals have been made from Service primary care centres across the United Kingdom. This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Queen's Lancashire Regiment

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on (a) recruitment in the Queen's Lancashire Regiment and (b) the future of the Regiment.

Ivor Caplin: Recruitment in the Queen's Lancashire Regiment (QLR) remains steady and current enlistment shows an improvement on that achieved at this point last year.
	There are currently no plans regarding the future of the QLR. The Defence White Paper provides the policy context for shaping the structure of our armed forces. Subsequently, the details of individual systems and units within that structure will need to be developed, but presently no decisions have been taken.

Queen's Lancashire Regiment

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment were deployed in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: Some 484 members of The Queen's Lancashire Regiment have been, or are, currently deployed in Iraq. Of these, 64 are Territorial Army personnel.

Saudi Arabia

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many claims for payment for visa support and visa-related services by the Saudi Government have been endorsed since 1 January 1997 by staff of his Department's Director General of the Saudi Armed Forces project regarding the Al-Yamamah programme; and what the value has been of claims for visa support and visa-related services since then.

Adam Ingram: None.

Seawolf

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the Seawolf Mid-life Update programme; and what slippage there has been in the project.

Adam Ingram: The Seawolf Mid-Life Update will improve the performance of this short range air defence system which is fitted to the Royal Navy's frigates, and will maintain its effectiveness well into this century. Against an original forecast In-Service Date (ISD) of late 2004, slippage of 13 months was reported in the 2001 Major Project Report. Following incorporation of an associated programme into the project to realise efficiency benefits through the harmonisation of work packages, the programme to ISD will be reviewed early in 2004. While slippage to ISD will delay the first ship fit, compression of the ship fitting programme will enable earlier delivery of the total capability across the frigate fleet.

Service Pensions

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the formula to be applied to compensation payable to ex-servicemen wrongly taxed on their service attributable pension will provide a return on the income wrongly deducted which is at least equivalent to the return which would have been obtainable had the individual lent the equivalent sum to the Government under the National Savings scheme and received an element of damages; and whether the sum payable will be based on interest compounded (a) annually and (b) semi-annually.

Ivor Caplin: The formula for determining the gross compensation to ex-servicemen whose invaliding pensions were wrongly taxed for more than six years, involves uprating the sum owed by the Retail Prices Index plus 2 per cent. per annum. The sum payable is to be based on compounding annually. Over the last 20 years this provides a slightly lower return on average than applying the National Savings rate (based on a deposit of £10,000). However, in the preceding decade the Ministry of Defence's formula gives the higher return. Over the whole 30 years, the return using MOD's formula is slightly more generous than one linked to the National Savings rate.

Staffordshire Regiment

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the Staffordshire Regiment following the publication of the Defence White Paper on 11 December.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 17 December 2003
	There are currently no plans regarding the future of the Staffordshire Regiment. The Defence White Paper provides the policy context for shaping the structure of our armed forces. Subsequently, the details of individual systems and units within that structure will need to be developed, but presently no decisions have been taken.

Subcontractors

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on his policy with regard to bringing the delivery, cost and quality records of potential subcontractors to the notice of a defence prime contractor;
	(2)  in what circumstances he would direct the attention of a defence prime contractor to the delivery, cost and quality records of a potential subcontractor.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence and its suppliers operate within the terms of the Codes of Best Practice to promote better working relationships in defence acquisition.
	It is principally the responsibility of the Department's prime contractors to select and manage the performance of their subcontractors. Many prime contractors deploy their own schemes for tracking supplier performance.
	It is not general policy to disclose details of an individual supplier's performance to other suppliers because such information would be commercially confidential. Only in exceptional cases involving, for example, national security or safety issues, would potential subcontract sourcing be considered as part of the Invitation to Tender for the prime contract.

Territorial Army

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of members of the Territorial Army have been paid on time in each of the last 12 months.

Ivor Caplin: Although a percentage figure is not held, the vast majority of Territorial Army personnel have been paid on time during the last 12 months. We are aware, however, that a small number of personnel mobilised during the early stages of recent operations in Iraq did experience delays in receiving the correct pay and allowances.

Type 45 Destroyer

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to alter the planned number of Type 45 destroyers to be purchased over the next decade.

Adam Ingram: There are six Type 45 Destroyers currently on order. Construction on the first has already begun at BAE Systems' yards on the Clyde and at the new Vosper Group facility at Portsmouth. Decisions about further orders of Type 45 Destroyers are not anticipated until the middle of this decade.
	Monday 5 January 2004

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Angola

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with specific reference to Angola, what the indicators are that define a good poverty reduction strategy paper; and what the criteria are by which the Government will measure governance and transparency credentials.

Hilary Benn: The indicators for a good poverty reduction strategy paper (PRSP) are those defined by the Joint Staff Assessment (JSA) Guidelines of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. The JSA guidelines reflect the main principles underlying the PRSP approach. The PRSP should be prepared by the Government, including broad participation that promotes country ownership of the strategy and its implementation as well as partnerships among the government, domestic stakeholders and development partners. The JSA guidelines also reflect the expectation that, although the specific content of PRSPs will vary widely among countries, a PRSP will include four core elements: a description of the country's participatory process; poverty diagnosis; targets, indicators, and monitoring systems; and priorities for public action. Good governance measures, including those which address transparency and corruption fall under the public action section.
	The UK has been working closely with the Government of Angola to ensure that the PRSP adheres to all of the JSA guidelines. The donor community in Angola fully expects the next draft version of the paper, likely to be published early in the new year, to include a strategy for good governance. Key components of that strategy will be greater transparency on Government income and expenditure as well as plans to eradicate corruption from all levels of government. The UK will continue to work closely with the World Bank and other donors to ensure that the text and implementation of the Angola PRSP meets the high standards demanded by the JSA guidelines.

Colombia

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department is providing to Colombia, with particular reference to aid to (a) help the development of civil society, (b) improve human rights and (c) encourage the activity of free trades unions.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID provides assistance to Colombia through the Civil Society Challenge Fund. 'War on Want' has received a £213,948 grant over four years for a 'Promotion of Workers and Human Rights' project in South West Colombia, which aims to increase trade union and social organisations' capacity to defend human and workers' rights. UNISON has received a £25,000 grant over three years to work with activists within civil society organisations and trade unions across Latin America to improve their capacity for dialogue with international global institutions such as the World Trade Organisation and the International Labour Organisation.
	DFID also contributes to the EC's Euro 105 million Country Programme for Colombia (2001–06), which contains four elements—two of which directly support efforts to improve human rights (support to administrative and judicial reform and promotion of human rights). DFID funds a £140,000 Small Grants Scheme in Colombia, which is managed by the embassy and supports projects with civil society groups.

Disabled Civil Servants

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many senior civil servants in his Department are disabled, expressed in (a) numbers and (b) as a percentage of whole-time equivalents.

Hilary Benn: Statistical information about senior civil servants with disabilities is available on the Civil Service Statistics website at http:/www.civil-service.gov.uk/statistics/documents/pdf/disability-oct03.pdf
	As there are less than five members of the senior civil service in DFID with a disability, the actual number is not published in order to protect the privacy of the individual in line with exemption 12 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Emergency Food Aid

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action is being taken to respond to emergency food needs in (a) southern Mozambique and (b) Lesotho.

Hilary Benn: DFID is currently helping over 600,000 people in drought affected areas in southern Mozambique, working in co-ordination with other donors. DFID has recently provided an additional £2.3 million for WFP's operation, which includes a contribution to further vulnerability assessments. In addition, a further £350,000 has been given to support UNICEF's emergency response and vulnerability reduction programme. This programme includes nutritional and epidemiological surveillance, supplementary feeding, and nutrition support for people living with HIV/AIDS. While a good harvest is predicted for April 2004, we shall continue to monitor the situation closely.
	In Lesotho, DFID is working closely with the WFP and has already provided £3 million to support feeding programmes and to assist agricultural recovery. However prospects for the 2004 harvest remain grim, with the poorest seasonal rains since records began in 1915. It is evident that food shortages will continue and that vulnerable groups will require on-going assistance. We have earmarked funds to respond to a new emergency appeal which is being prepared.

Eritrea

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on assistance being provided in Eritrea.

Hilary Benn: I refer my hon. Friend for Glasgow, Govan to the answer that I gave the hon. Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 16 December 2003, Official Report, column 829W.

EU Aid (Fraud)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the subject of fraud in EU aid programmes.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The progress of the on-going reforms aimed at improving EC financial accountability was reviewed by the Secretary of State and the representatives of other member states in the discussion of the annual report for 2002 at the November General External Affairs Council. The investigation by the Commission's Internal Audit Service into all Commission directorates and agencies, including AIDCO, will report early in the new year. All accusations of fraud are taken very seriously and followed up by DFID.
	Since the late 1990s, DFID has supported the reform of the EC's aid programmes and policies, in particular the establishment of the EuropeAid office, the reform of the Management Committees, the reduction in the backlog of unspent Commission funds and the reform of the financial management of the Commission's external assistance. These measures should improve the transparency and accountability standards of the EC aid programme financial management through better scrutiny, a key and integral feature of the overall reform process.

European Constitution

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with representatives of non-governmental organisations about the proposal in the Draft European Constitution to merge the roles of High Representative and External Affairs Commissioner of the European Union.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: I met with the heads of CONCORD, a Brussels-based platform for development NGOs, ActionAid and Eurostep during my visit to Brussels in early September. We discussed the outcome of the Convention debate on development and humanitarian assistance and agreed important progress had been made in these areas so far. We also agreed our main aim for the Inter-governmental Conference, which started in early October, would be to maintain these gains. I also discussed the issue of merging the role of EU's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the External Affairs Commissioner with non-governmental organisations.

Give as You Earn Scheme

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many and what percentage of staff in his Department contribute to a charity through the Give as You Earn scheme; how much money is donated to charity per month by staff in his Department through the scheme; and what steps he is taking to encourage greater participation in the scheme by staff in his Department.

Hilary Benn: In the financial year 2002–03, 64 DFID employees were regular contributors through the Give as You Earn scheme, representing approximately 3.8 per cent. of the Department's Home Civil Service Staff. The total value of contributions was £16,190, equivalent to £1,349 a month.
	The scheme is promoted on our departmental intranet with information about how to contribute and regular updates on scheme initiatives. At our invitation, a representative of the Giving Campaign recently made a presentation about the scheme to DFID Directors and other senior managers.
	We know that many staff in DFID support good causes in other ways and the information provided above does not represent the full extent of the charitable activity of our employees.

HIV/AIDS

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding the Government provided for HIV/AIDS programmes in (a) Burundi, (b) Democratic Republic of the Congo, (c) Rwanda and (d) Uganda in (i) 2001, (ii) 2002 and (iii) 2003; what funding will be provided in (A) 2004, (B) 2005 and (C) 2006; and what research has been commissioned on the number of people infected in each country.

Hilary Benn: Support to HIV/AIDS is being provided as follows:
	Burundi: £5.1 million over a three-year period (2002 to 2005) through Action Aid for support to the National AIDS Control Programme and Population Services International (PSI) for condom social marketing. Research and monitoring is carried out nationally by the National AIDS Control Programme.
	DRC: In 2002–03 a total of £375,622 through MSF for an AIDS Care project in Bukavu was spent; in 2003–04 a total of £500,000 to Population Services International (PSI) for an expanded programme of condom social marketing has been spent. Research and monitoring is carried out nationally by the National AIDS Control Programme based in Kinshasa. DFID is doubling its core contribution next year as are others. DPID recently published its Country Engagement Plan for the DRC which sets out the key aims for a post-conflict DRC. The fight against HIV/AIDS is one of those aims and we will be working with partners on this as we build up our programme.
	Rwanda: £2.95 million to the National AIDS Commission over the period April 2002 to March 2005. The primary objective is to substantially enhance the effectiveness of Rwanda's response to HIV/AIDS. DFID has also committed £895,993 to PSI over the period February 2002 to February 2005 to support social marketing of condoms and £521,000 to support an HIV/AIDS unit within the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology over the period April 2001 to March 2006. In addition, since 2000–01 DFID has provided £65.4 million in general budget support to the Government of Rwanda (GoR) and is planning to provide a further £84 million over the period 2003–04 to 2005–06. This provides core funding so that GoR can tackle its Poverty Reduction Strategy objectives, which include improving HIV/AIDS related health care activities.
	Research on the number of people infected with HIV/AIDS was carried out in Rwanda before 1994 and looked at the historical background of HIV infection. In 1997 the Ministry of Health carried out research on the number of people infected and 11.1 per cent. were found to be HIV positive. During six months of every year all hospitals in Rwanda are asked to carry out a survey on the number of infected pregnant women for both rural and urban areas. The GoR currently estimate that 400,000 of its population are infected with HIV/AIDS. GoR will be carrying out an HIV/AIDS demographic survey in early 2004.
	Uganda: In 2000–01 a total of £1.5 million was spent on HIV/AIDS; in 2001–02 £0.9 million was spent; in 2002–03 £1.23 million was spent. A total of £0.78 million has so far been spent in 2003–04 (£1.27 million is forecast for this financial year). For 2004–05 and 2005–06 £2 million is forecast respectively for each year. In addition, since 2000–01 general budget support has been provided to the Government of Uganda. However, it is impossible to estimate how much is being spent on HIV-related and health care activities. The numbers of people infected are currently measured through a sentinel surveillance system where they are anonymously tested. A survey of 30,000 people is planned for early 2004 and will be undertaken by USAID and the Government of Uganda.

HIV/AIDS

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of children orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS in (a) Burundi, (b) Democratic Republic of the Congo, (c) Rwanda and (d) Uganda in (i) 2001, (ii) 2002 and (iii) 2003.

Hilary Benn: Accurate data of the number of children orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS is limited throughout the Great Lakes region. In Burundi it is estimated to be about 30,000 a year. In DRC it is estimated to be about 800,000 a year. In Rwanda it is estimated to be about 40,000 a year. In Uganda, according to the situation analysis of orphans in Uganda November 2002, it is estimated that there are a total of 2 million orphans of which 884,000 are AIDS orphans. This information was based on 2001 data. We have no more recent data.

HIV/AIDS

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the HIV/AIDS situation in the countries of the Great Lakes Region in Africa.

Hilary Benn: More than two-thirds of all HIV-infected people live in Sub-Saharan Africa—some 25 million people (and over 13 million have already died as a result of AIDS). The Great Lakes region remains the most severely affected and most countries there face a serious crisis.
	According to UN AIDS estimates for 1999, the cumulative total number infected and cumulative deaths for Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda are as follows:
	
		
			  Cumulative total of number infected Cumulative deaths 
		
		
			 Burundi 360,000 39,000 
			 Rwanda 400,000 40,000 
			 Tanzania 1,300,000 140,000 
			 Uganda 820,000 11,000 
		
	
	Only Uganda has achieved an apparently sustainable reduction in the rate of new infection.
	In the case of DRC, according to a recent report by the UN, half of the hospital beds are occupied by people with HIV/AIDS and it will take years to measure the exact impact in the country. Efforts to combat HIV/AIDS have been hampered by nearly five years of civil war. The UN mission in-country is using the media to increase awareness as well as working through non-governmental organisations. DFID recently published its Country Engagement Plan for the DRC which sets out the key aims for a post-conflict DRC. The fight against HIV/AIDS is one of those aims and we will be working with partners on this as we build up our programme in the DRC.

Iraq

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the average wage paid to engineers from (a) Iraq, (b) the USA and (c) the UK who are working on reconstruction projects in Iraq is.

Hilary Benn: Insufficient information is available on rates of pay for individuals working in Iraq to be able to assess average wages for particular professions or nationalities. DFID's policy is not to make public the salaries paid to individual consultants and contractors.
	It can reasonably be assumed that pay rates for engineers working in Iraq vary significantly according to the qualifications, experience and circumstances of the individual, the type of contract and the employing organisation.

Iraq

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken to recruit Iraqi engineers for reconstruction programmes in Iraq.

Hilary Benn: Iraqi engineers are already involved in identifying Iraq's reconstruction needs, setting priorities and supporting implementation of projects. UN agencies and NGOs employ large numbers of Iraqi technical staff including engineers. In the south DFID funds the Recovery and Infrastructure Group (RIG), which is refurbishing key government buildings, and another project, which is rehabilitating the offices for the Governorate teams. We are also funding the Emergency Infrastructure Project, which is carrying out emergency refurbishment of power, water and fuel supply infrastructure. The consultants leading those projects employ Iraqi engineers as integral members of their teams. DFID staff have been impressed by the technical competence of the Iraqi engineers.

Iraq

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if his Department will work with the Coalition Provisional Authority to ensure that efforts are made in the forthcoming school year to ensure gender equality for (a) the number of children attending school and (b) the number of children taking exams in Iraq.

Hilary Benn: DFID is funding three education advisers to work with CPA South and liaise with CPA, including on gender equality. We have provided significant support in Iraq to UNICEF, who share our concerns about all Iraqi children being able to complete their schooling and who have a particular responsibility for championing gender equality. Over the coming year we also expect to make a substantial contribution to the multi-donor trust fund for Iraq, a significant proportion of which is likely to be used to support the education sector.

Iraq

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when (a) he and (b) departmental officials last met Paul Bremer (i) in Iraq, (ii) in the UK and (iii) elsewhere.

Hilary Benn: DFID's Permanent Secretary and I met Paul Bremer in Iraq in September 2003.
	Regular contact between the Government and Ambassador Bremer is conducted through the Prime Minister's Special Representative to Iraq, Sir Jeremy Greenstock. DFID staff in Baghdad are also in frequent contact with US officials in the Coalition Provisional Authority.

Rwanda

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what mechanisms his Department has available to it to encourage Rwanda to adhere to the Memorandum of Understanding.

Hilary Benn: The commitments made by the Government of Rwanda in the UK/Rwanda Memorandum of Understanding are drawn in large part from Rwanda's Poverty Reduction Strategy, the National Programme for Strengthening Good Governance for Poverty Reduction, the international and African human rights agreements which the Government have ratified, and the regional peace and stability Agreements which the Government have signed. The Government's accountability for honouring their commitments therefore primarily rests with the Rwandan people, through Parliament and civil society organisations. We are helping the Government to meet their commitments through maintaining a constructive dialogue with key individuals and organisations, by establishing regional and national networks, for example between Governments and between Government and civil society, and by providing targeted technical assistance.

Rwanda

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the notification process is for informing the Rwandan Government of any failure to adhere to the Memorandum of Understanding.

Hilary Benn: Should we believe that the Government of Rwanda have taken or plans to take action incompatible with their commitments within the UK/Rwanda Memorandum of Understanding, we would formally notify the Government of Rwanda of our concern, drawing their attention to the potential implications of a failure to honour their commitments, and discuss what remedial action might be taken and how the UK might support such action. Notification could be effected through a written exchange between myself and His Excellency the President of Rwanda or, on my instructions, at a local level.
	The UK/Rwandan Memorandum of Understanding provides for a period of discussion between the two Governments, before any decision to change the UK's programme of assistance is made. Our aim in any re-change in our engagement will be to continue to make the greatest possible impact on poverty in Rwanda.

Southern Africa

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to ensure that the Southern Africa Hunger and Vulnerability Strategy will have sufficient resources to ensure that the lessons learned from the International Development Committee enquiry on the humanitarian crisis in southern Africa are acted upon.

Hilary Benn: The Southern Africa Hunger and Vulnerability Strategy has been developed in response to the issues raised in the International Development Select Committee's Report. We will work to strengthen vulnerability monitoring and assessment systems that can feed into the design of safety nets in the region and will explore how the role of the private sector in enhancing food security can be encouraged. We also intend to provide support for policy networks working on food security issues in Southern Africa so that a longer-term focus on regional food security can be maintained.
	We are in the process of designing a programme of support along these lines. We will look for opportunities to work with national Governments and with bilateral and multilateral donors in order that DFID's resources can leverage longer-term investment in regional food security.

Southern Africa

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken to ensure food aid in southern Africa is (a) only distributed where it can be demonstrated to be the best response and (b) allocated on the basis of national Vulnerable Assessment Committee data.

Hilary Benn: DFID is one of the major funders of Vulnerability Assessment Committees in Southern Africa. We continue to support the work of the VACs in Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe in an effort to better track vulnerability trends, and to provide a more detailed assessment of humanitarian needs and the most appropriate response to them.
	VAC data has already been used to help programme our response to current humanitarian needs in the region. We are providing support for food aid operations in Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique, where VACs have recommended continued food aid programming. In situations where food aid is not considered to be an appropriate response, we are providing a range of other support aimed at encouraging agricultural recovery. Seed fairs, targeted input schemes, and support for public works programmes that provide incomes for the rural poor, are examples of non-food aid relief that DFID is currently funding.

Southern Africa

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans the Government has to (a) prevent the deterioration of health and education services in southern Africa as a consequence of the HIV/AIDS crisis and (b) support the strengthening of these services.

Hilary Benn: DFID is currently working on this issue at a number of levels. Activities in the southern Africa region include increasing information on the impact of HIV/AIDS on the social services; the promotion of national plans that address its impact; funding for HIV/AIDS prevention and mitigation programmes; and capacity building support for health and education services. DFID is working closely with Governments, civil society, the private sector, and other donors to tackle HIV and AIDS which is the major challenge for the region.
	The Government's recent "Call for Action on HIV/AIDS" promises to make HIV/AIDS a priority for the additional £320 million a year which DFID will be devoting to Africa by 2006, fulfilling the UK pledge to increase development assistance to Africa to £1 billion per annum.

World Trade Organisation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the impact of the breakdown of the world trade talks in Cancun on developing countries.

Hilary Benn: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 17 September 2003, Official Report, column 861.

Zimbabwe

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with officials from the (a) EU and (b) UN regarding human rights in Zimbabwe.

Hilary Benn: Human rights abuses are an increasing cause for concern in Zimbabwe. There continue to be high levels of political violence and repression, particularly against trade unions and the independent media. Failed economic policies have also undermined basic social and economic rights. This is reflected in the 5.5 million people requiring food aid and the collapse of basic services.
	The subject of human rights in Zimbabwe is regularly discussed by officials at meetings of the EU's Africa Working Group. In Harare, we work closely with the UN Resident Representative and EU Ambassadors to promote human rights. This has included work on humanitarian principles to ensure relief and recovery programmes are not politicised and reach those most in need.

Zimbabwe

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the criteria are for identifying recipients of food aid in Zimbabwe.

Hilary Benn: Criteria for the distribution of food aid through the World Food Programme have been set out in a recent Memorandum of Understanding between WFP and the Government of Zimbabwe. These criteria use a number of different indicators of vulnerability to ensure that food assistance is distributed on the basis of need. The households that receive highest priority include those with chronically ill adults, those headed by children or disabled people, and those without access to land or income.
	In addition to these general rations distributed to households, DFID and other humanitarian partners are providing supplementary feeding through clinics and home based care programmes. Priority has been given to areas where there is limited coverage of general distributions, high rates of childhood malnutrition and poor harvests last year.

Zimbabwe

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contingency plans are in place in the event that food needs remain unmet in (a) Zimbabwe and (b) other parts of southern Africa before the next harvest.

Hilary Benn: In Zimbabwe it is unlikely that there will be sufficient food for the 5.5 million people who are expected to need assistance during the pre-harvest season, i.e. January to April. DFID is again providing almost £20 million for emergency feeding programmes this year, but the Government of Zimbabwe's contribution to the humanitarian feeding operation is expected to be negligible. The World Food Programme has responded by reducing rations, and is now providing about 50 per cent. of daily needs. DFID is working with the World Food Programme, other UN agencies and various non-governmental organisations to ensure that the available humanitarian resources are used efficiently and prioritised to reach the most vulnerable, including households affected by AIDS.
	We are monitoring closely the situation in other countries in the region. We have already provided almost £3 million for food aid programmes in Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland to cover immediate requirements until the harvest season, and are augmenting this with support for agricultural recovery activities. We are also funding the work of the Vulnerability Assessment Committees to provide more detailed information on vulnerability, and have used this data to target nutritional support operations in Mozambique and Lesotho to complement food aid deliveries in these countries.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Boundary Review

Evan Harris: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what plans the Commission has to reform the process of parliamentary boundary review.

Peter Viggers: The Commission has no such plans. Section 16 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 provides for the functions of the Boundary Commissions to be transferred to the Electoral Commission, but these provisions have not yet been implemented. Consequently, the Electoral Commission has no responsibility yet for the process of parliamentary boundary review.

Voting Procedures

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what discussions the Committee has had with the Electoral Commission on ensuring that people unable to sign or mark proxy or postal application forms are able to vote.

Peter Viggers: The Speaker's Committee's statutory remit does not normally require it to discuss such matters with the Electoral Commission, and no such discussions have taken place. The Commission considered this matter in its report on absent voting, published in March 2003, but having regard to the practical difficulties in preventing abuse if the law allowed severely disabled voters to be assisted outside a polling station, recommended that the law should not be changed in relation to the application procedure for proxy votes.

TRANSPORT

Air Transport

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to start the consultation on a new night noise regime at (a) Heathrow, (b) Gatwick and (c) Stansted.

Alistair Darling: In the first half of this year.

Air Transport

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will define the phrase 'longer term' in the context of paragraph 11.103 of, The Future of Air Transport;
	(2)  pursuant to paragraph 11.103 of The Future of Air Transport what his conclusion is regarding future use of White Waltham airfield.

Alistair Darling: In paragraphs 12.15 to 12.18 of the SERAS consultation, the Department asked for views on the potential of six existing business aviation sites including Farnborough, Northolt and Southend, to accommodate future demand for business aviation. This took account of the findings from the Department's study of business aviation in the South East which was published as the part of the consultation in July 2002.
	In addition to these sites, the business aviation study also considered that two predominantly general aviation airfields, White Waltham and North Weald, were well located to meet some of the demand for business aviation in the longer term, but the case for White Waltham would be largely dependent on the future provision of capacity at Luton, Farnborough, and Northolt during the 30 year period of the White Paper. Consequently, the White Paper recognised this potential but did not arrive at any conclusions about whether White Waltham should be expanded to meet demand for business aviation.

BAA

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the ownership of BAA following the publication of the Government's White Paper on aviation; and what plans he has to break up the company.

Tony McNulty: The Government's position on the ownership of BAA is set out in its response to the Transport Committee's Report on Aviation, Cm 6047, published in parallel with the White Paper.

Birmingham Airport

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the counter proposal for a second runway produced by Birmingham International Airport is formally being considered as part of the consultation process on the future of aviation; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Department considered Birmingham International Airport's proposal as a refinement of the wide-spaced parallel runway option which was included in the Midlands Consultation Document. For the reasons set out in the White Paper "The Future of Air Transport", we have decided to support it.

Child Pedestrians (Road Accidents)

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the location was of each incident resulting in the death or serious injury of a child pedestrian on UK roads in 2002; what the posted speed limit was at each of these locations; and what the actual speed was at which the vehicle involved was travelling at the time of incident.

David Jamieson: The total number of fatally and seriously injured child pedestrians in road accidents in Great Britain in 2002 was 2,828. Details of every such accident could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The following table shows the number of road accidents in Great Britain in 2002, where at least one child (0–15) pedestrian was either killed or seriously injured, by the speed limit and road class.
	Information on actual vehicle speeds at the time of the accidents is not recorded as part of the Department's road accident data collection system.
	
		Fatal or serious accidents
		
			 Road type (11)BU (12)NBU 
		
		
			 Motorway 0 2 
			 A 709 65 
			 B 318 19 
			 C 274 12 
			 Unclassified 1,392 19 
			 Total 2,693 117 
		
	
	(11) Built-up roads, roads with a speed limit of 40mph.
	(12) Non built-up roads, roads with a speed limit of 70mph.

Drink Driving

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Department spent on advertising the Drink Drive Campaign in each year since 1997.

Alistair Darling: Campaign advertising costs for drink drive since 1997 are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,334,000 
			 1998–99 1,404,000 
			 1999–2000 2,106,000 
			 2000–01 1,700,000 
			 2001–02 1,346,000 
			 2002–03 1,644,000 
			 2003–04 (13)2,150,000 
		
	
	(13) estimated outurn

Drink Driving

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he (a) has commissioned and (b) plans to commission on the reasons for the number of drink drive fatalities.

David Jamieson: Estimates of drink drive deaths and injuries are produced annually and routine information is obtained from Coroners on the level of alcohol in road accident fatalities. These enable monitoring of trends.
	For the purpose of developing road safety publicity we continue to gauge attitudes and behaviour in omnibus research carried out throughout the year and also in qualitative research with targeted groups on both the effectiveness of various creative strategies and on attitudes and behaviour towards drink driving.
	Our road safety research programme has included many projects on alcohol related accidents. Most recent projects have examined the behaviour of High Risk Offenders and the effectiveness of Drink Drive Rehabilitation Courses. We are about to place a contract to investigate the usefulness, acceptability and impact on lifestyle of Alcohol Ignition Interlocks for drink driving offenders. We are also the main sponsor of the worlds largest conference on this subject—the 17th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety which meets in Glasgow in August 2004.

Drink Driving

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the issues on which views were invited in Combating Drink Driving: Next Steps, published in February 1998; and what action has been taken with regard to each of them.

David Jamieson: Each of the issues and the action taken are listed in the following table below.
	
		
			 Proposal Action taken 
		
		
			 1. Introducing powers to authorise breath testing without prior suspicion. Not proceeded with. A proposal to give the police powers to carry out targeted breathtesting was included in the Road Safety Strategy. In the event, this was deemed unnecessary as the police already undertake intelligence-led enforcement against drink-driving. 
			 2. Where Bail Act powers are used to prevent driving between an offence and a court appearance, reducing the final period of any disqualification by any period by the amount of time that the driver was banned as part of his or her bail. Not proceeded with. This was not an issue which attracted significant comment in the public response. 
			 3. Streamlining prosecution proceedings by conditional fixed penalty offers to drivers not to take court proceedings and by evidential roadside breath testing. Conditional fixed penalty offers were not proceeded with. This proposal received little support in the public response. The Government agree with those who consider that the seriousness of drink-driving offences should require a court appearance.The Government are planning to introduce legislation giving the police powers to carry out evidential roadside breathtesting as soon as parliamentary time permits. 
			 4. Reducing the drink-drive limit to 50mg/100ml The Government have decided not to lower the legal limit. 
			 5. In the event of a 50mg limit, whether the current 12 months' period of disqualification should be retained or lesser penalties applied to offences in the 50–80mg range. No action taken in view of decision on 4. 
			 6. Introducing a specially low drink-drive limit for novice drivers. Not proceeded with. The Government consider that allowing drivers to drink more once they cease to be novices might convey the wrong message. 
			 7. The effectiveness of drink-drive rehabilitation courses and ideas for extending or modifying the scheme or the range of offenders to be sent on courses. A permanent drink-drive rehabilitation scheme was introduced throughout Great Britain from 1 January 2000. The Government are planning to introduce legislation enabling courts to refer offenders to driver retraining and improvement courses as soon as parliamentary time permits. 
			 8. Promoting self-test breathalysers. The Government expressed doubts about the value of such devices in the consultation document and, in the light of the response, sees no reason actively to promote them.

Fuel Efficiency (Road Transport)

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department will be taking to implement the EU voluntary agreement for improving average fuel efficiency for new cars.

David Jamieson: The Government strongly supports the Voluntary Agreements on new car fuel efficiency between the European Commission and the automotive industry, and has put in place a number of policies to incentivise the uptake of fuel-efficient vehicles in the UK. These are set out in detail in the Powering Future Vehicles strategy, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House and via the Department's website.
	The main measures include a number of fiscal incentives to encourage the purchase of more fuel-efficient vehicles, such as the graduated Vehicle Excise Duty and company car tax regimes. We also provide Government grants to support the purchase of certain types of fuel-efficient vehicle, including petrol-electric 'hybrid' vehicles. In recent months, we have been piloting colour-coded energy efficiency labels for new cars in some showrooms, as a way of getting clearer information on fuel efficiency to consumers, and we will be supporting the European Commission as it seeks to develop an EU-wide car energy efficiency labelling scheme. As a result of these and other measures, average new car fuel efficiency in the UK has improved by almost 10 per cent. since 1995.
	The Government's Energy White Paper, published in February 2003, confirmed the Government's strong support for the Voluntary Agreements, and committed us to working with the European Commission in developing further Voluntary Agreements to continue the improvement in average new car fuel-efficiency. We have written to the European Commission setting out our view that new Agreements should be reached at an early date, establishing a new time horizon such as 2015. We have suggested that new targets should be based on authoritative evidence on available technology improvements, having regard to the full range of environmental, social and economic factors.

Fuel Efficiency (Road Transport)

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what incentives his Department is giving to the use of road transport fuels which produce the least greenhouse gas emissions.

David Jamieson: "Powering Future Vehicles—The Government Strategy", published in July 2002, describes the action which the Government are taking to promote the shift to clean, low carbon fuels and vehicles, including low duty rates for liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas, hydrogen and biofuels, the introduction of CO2 -based graduated VED (Vehicle Excise Duty) and company car tax, and grants towards the purchase or conversion of cleaner fuelled vehicles, including electric and hybrid vehicles. Details of these purchase grants can be found at: www.transportenergy.org.uk The First Annual Report on implementation of the Strategy was published in October. Copies of both documents are available in the Libraries of the House.

Legislation

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of (a) primary and (b) secondary legislation sponsored by his Department in 2002–03 was introduced to implement EU requirements.

Kim Howells: No primary legislation sponsored by the Department for Transport in the 2002–03 Parliamentary session was introduced to implement EU requirements. The secondary legislation sponsored by the Department comprised both general and local instruments. The proportion of all these instruments which were introduced to implement EU requirements was approximately 1 per cent. In the case of general instruments alone the proportion was approximately 13 per cent.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many prosecutions have been brought by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in each of the last 10 years; and how many of them have resulted in convictions.

David Jamieson: Prior to 1995, prosecutions by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency were conducted by local offices. In 1995 the process was started to centralise these prosecutions, and by 1998 the central unit had became fully functional. Data prior to 1995 is not available.
	
		
			 Year Number of prosecutions Number of convictions 
		
		
			 1995 1 1 
			 1996 2 2 
			 1997 4 4 
			 1998 8 8 
			 1999 10 10 
			 2000 9 9 
			 2001 (14)10 9 
			 2002 (14)13 12 
			 2003 7 7 
		
	
	(14) In both 2001 and 2002 the Maritime and Coastguard Agency did joint investigations with the police. The Crown Prosecution Service and not the Maritime and Coastguard Agency undertook the prosecutions which did not result in a conviction.

Marketing

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on marketing in each year since 1997.

Alistair Darling: Annual expenditure for the years requested are as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1997–98 18.8 
			 1998–99 18.2 
			 1999–2000 26.9 
			 2000–01 32.0 
			 2001–02 15.0 
			 2002–03 17.6 
		
	
	For the latest year, 2002–03, approximately ¾ of the expenditure relates to Think! which promotes road safety messages to adults and children and is a vital part of the Government's strategy to reduce deaths and injuries.
	Until 2001 figures for expenditure cover the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, (DTLR) and the Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR). Breaking out the transport element for the years 1997–98 to 2000–01 could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Motorways

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which bodies are responsible for the safe use of traffic cones on motorways.

David Jamieson: The prime responsibility for the safe use of traffic cones on motorways lies with the highway authority and its consultants and contractors. In general, the Highways Agency, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport, is the highway authority for motorways in England.
	In emergency situations, the police take responsibility for the direction of traffic on motorways, and may use traffic cones to facilitate this task.

New Airport (Thames Estuary)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to rule out, for the foreseeable future, any further schemes for a new airport in the Thames estuary.

Tony McNulty: On 16 December 2003, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport published a White Paper, The Future of Air Transport, which sets out policies in airport development up to 2030.

Pollution Tracking

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what use is made of satellite tracking systems in detecting pollution incidents in United Kingdom waters.

David Jamieson: My Department have been involved in recent trials which made use of satellite data for detecting pollution incidents in UK waters. Overall the trials were deemed a success.
	The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has recently let a contract with a satellite company to provide analysed images from satellites linked specifically to the identification of oil spills. This will run for two months during January and February, and will cover the English Channel and South West approaches.
	A further operational programme using satellites for oil detection is scheduled for March over a period of five months. This will be a transnational project involving Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.

Public Service Obligations (Air Services)

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the compatibility of public service obligations on regional air services with European Commission regulations.

Tony McNulty: The imposition of Public Service Obligations on regional air services is governed by EC Regulation 2408/92. All applications for the imposition of PSOs on regional air services are considered against the criteria set out in the relevant Regulations.

Railways

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what investigation he has undertaken of the condition of signalling equipment on the rail line between Gloucester and Bristol; and what safety appraisal he has sought from the different rail authorities.

Tony McNulty: The condition of the signalling equipment on the rail line between Gloucester and Bristol is an operational matter for Network Rail.
	The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advise that they have not received any reports of any specific problems with the signalling equipment along this rail line. However, the HSE's Railway Inspectorate (HMRI) recently requested infrastructure reports about this region from Network Rail which they will be analysing.

Railways

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects (a) rail freight facility grants and (b) track access grants to recommence.

Tony McNulty: The Strategic Rail Authority hopes to re-launch its freight grant schemes when funds become available. It plans to replace track access grants with a new Company Neutral Revenue Support scheme.

Road Charging

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement further to the recent Commission for Integrated Transport Report on proposals fundamentally to review how motorists pay to use the road network.

David Jamieson: On 9 July 2003, Official Report, columns 1175–79 my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced a feasibility study into road charging. The terms of reference are contained in the Department for Transport publication "Managing our Roads". The study will report to him next summer.

Road Resurfacing

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road resurfacing projects have been delayed since 2001 from their provisional or planned dates owing to value management work.

David Jamieson: Value management is a structured process used by the Highways Agency to establish priorities and best value from the available budget for maintaining the strategic road network. A range of factors is taken into account in programming maintenance projects that include the latest information on surface conditions and opportunities to combine maintenance work with other projects in order to minimise disruption to traffic. The re-phasing of projects is not the result of value management work, but arises from a reappraisal of factors that influence the appropriate timing for works to be undertaken, in the light of better information.

Safety Cameras

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people are employed (a) full time and (b) part time by (i) his Department and (ii) consultants engaged by his Department in supervision and monitoring of safety camera partnerships.

David Jamieson: holding answer 9 December 2003
	There are five people (four exclusively) employed in the Department working on the safety camera programme which includes the supervision and monitoring of partnerships. The number of consultant staff involved in supervising or monitoring the safety camera programme varies from time to time.

Safety Cameras

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what statistical data safety camera partnerships are required to submit to his Department each quarter; and to what use such statistical data is put.

David Jamieson: holding answer 9 December 2003
	Partnerships are required to provide quarterly monitoring information and data covering traffic speeds, casualties, public opinion and costs. The information is collated, analysed and presented to inform policy development. The results are published annually on the DfT website and are available in the Libraries of the House.

Safety Cameras

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fixed speed cameras there are on the A28 between Ashford and Margate.

David Jamieson: Five. When Kent joined the scheme there were already three cameras enforcing at high-risk sites on this route. The Partnership have recently installed a further two cameras at sites where 11 people had been killed or seriously injured over the past three years.

Safety Cameras

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the uses to which surplus funds from (a) speed and (b) red light cameras are put in Essex.

David Jamieson: All surplus funds arising from safety camera activity within partnerships operating within the netting off programme, that is over and above the amount required to cover their costs, are passed to the Treasury. Where areas are not yet in the scheme all fine revenue from camera activity passes to the Treasury in the usual way.

Safety Cameras

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost of running (a) speed and (b) red light cameras in Essex was in each of the last five years; and what the estimated costs are for the current financial year.

David Jamieson: The cost to the Essex Safety Camera Partnership for operating their safety cameras for the most recent audited years was £1,846,480 in 2000–01 and £3,179,304 in 2001–02. Estimated costs for 2002–03 and 2003–04 are £5,150,286 and £5,980,765 respectively. Costs for speed and traffic signal cameras cannot be apportioned separately. Prior to the start of the safety camera netting off trial in April 2000 local authorities were not obliged to provide information on camera activity.

Safety Cameras

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were killed in road traffic accidents on Essex roads in each of the last five years.

David Jamieson: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		Fatalities in accidents on roads in Essex
		
			 Year Number 
		
		
			 1998 84 
			 1999 112 
			 2000 86 
			 2001 121 
			 2002 92

Traffic Management Bill

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what salaries will be payable to traffic officers appointed under the Traffic Management Bill.

David Jamieson: Traffic officers will be paid within a salary range of £15,800 to £20,000. They will receive an additional allowance of up to 20 per cent. for working a shift system. Other staff, such as supervisors and control centre personnel, who will be co-ordinating operations and fulfilling customer service functions, will be paid from aligned pay ranges.

Traffic Management Bill

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether there will be a standard national uniform for traffic officers appointed under the Traffic Management Bill; and if it will include a requirement to wear headgear.

David Jamieson: A national standard uniform for traffic officers has been developed. It includes a hard hat for wearing at the scene of incidents when there is a risk of head injury.
	A uniform is required to make traffic officers easily visible and recognisable, to establish authority and credibility, and to protect the public from persons impersonating a traffic officer.

Transport Council

Jim Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the outcome was of the Transport Council held in Brussels on 4 to 5 December; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The transport session of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council met in Brussels on 5 December. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State represented the United Kingdom.
	The Presidency gave a progress report on the proposed Directive on sanctions for ship-source pollution, indicating that further work was needed. The Transport Council would call on the Justice and Home Affairs Council to look at the parallel proposal for a framework decision for criminal sanctions. The UK is among Member States seeking to ensure the exclusion of criminal sanctions from the Directive.
	The Council reached a General Approach on an amendment to the Regulation which established the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). The Regulation extends EMSA's role into the areas of certification of third country seafarers, counter-pollution measures and ship security. The security role is to be limited, on the basis of a Presidency compromise proposal, to ships only (thereby excluding the ship/port interface and ports themselves). This was accepted by all delegations.
	The Council reached a General Approach on a Regulation on transfer of vessels between Community registers. The text is acceptable to the UK.
	The Council reached Political Agreement on an amending Regulation on airport slot allocation. The Presidency explained that the proposal concerned technical amendments to the existing rules on slot allocation, with market measures left to a later phase. A compromise text safeguarded the possibility of secondary slot trading at congested airports (the key issue for the UK), and removed a time limit on the re-letting of public service contracts. My right hon. Friend joined others in speaking in support of the compromise. The Commission said it would come forward in 2004 with a proposal to introduce market elements to the slot allocation system.
	The Commissioner reported on her recent informal talks with the US on EU/US air service negotiations. The US had said that they envisaged the negotiations focusing on ownership and control issues, competition, leasing, and airport access.
	The Council reached Political Agreement on a revised proposal to amend the guidelines to the transport Trans-European Network. This provides for: simpler environmental assessment requirements; tighter conditions for start-up aid in the context of 'motorways of the sea'; greater Commission consultation with Member States over action in response to project delays; and scope for adding to or amending the list of priority projects on the basis of two-yearly Commission reports. The amendments are largely acceptable to all Member States, including the UK.
	Among AOB items, the Commission reported on progress in negotiations with the United States on interoperability of the Galileo satellite navigation system with the US Global Positioning System (GPS). The Commission also welcomed the commercial and development agreement reached with China on Galileo.
	The Council reached a General Approach on the Directive on interoperability of European electronic road tolling systems. The UK has particular interest in this measure because of our plans to introduce lorry road-user charging. We were able to accept the revised text at the Council, which had moved a considerable way to accommodate concerns we had had.
	There was a policy debate on the directive on charging of heavy goods vehicles (the Eurovignette directive), on the basis of three questions put in advance by the Presidency. The written submissions by Member and accession States will be used to inform future negotiations during the Irish Presidency. We explained specific points in the UK submission, in particular pressing for the scope of the Directive to permit the inclusion of congestion and environmental costs in any charges and arguing against mandatory hypothecation of toll revenue.
	The Council failed to reach agreement on the Directive on weekend lorry bans. We joined a number of other Member States in speaking in support of the proposal. However, the number of Member States opposed to even minimal EU rules prevented agreement. This issue will now be examined further and put to a future Council.
	The Commission presented two new legislative proposals in the area of road transport: the third driving licence directive; and a proposal requiring more frequent checking of commercial vehicles for compliance with drivers' hours legislation. These will now be examined in detail before being submitted to a future Council for agreement.
	The Council agreed Conclusions on road safety, confirming the agreement reached at the informal meeting in Verona in October. The UK welcomes the Conclusions as a significant contribution to European road safety, and will support future proposals which stand up to the tests of subsidiarity and proportionality. The Commission also presented a Recommendation on enforcement in the field of road safety.
	No formal votes were taken.

US Ships (Decommissioning)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what inspections (a) have been carried out and (b) are planned into the sea-worthiness of the US Navy ships moored in Hartlepool to assess their safety for returning to the United States; and if he will place copies of the completed assessments in the Library.

David Jamieson: holding answer 15 December 2003
	Inspections of the vessels are being undertaken to ensure that they do not pose any risk while remaining in Hartlepool.
	To ensure that the vessels are in a suitable condition to cross the Atlantic, a survey would be necessary before Load line Exemption Certificates can be issued.

US Ships (Decommissioning)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment the Government has made of the (a) safety and (b) speed with which the US Navy ships moored in Hartlepool could be returned to the US with the use of a heavy lift vessel; and if he will place a copy of such assessments in the Library.

David Jamieson: holding answer 15 December 2003
	Initial risk assessments and routing plans have been produced for the return voyage of the vessels, under tow. No assessment has been produced for using a heavy lift vessel.

US Ships (Decommissioning)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his Answer of 16 December 2003, Official Report, column 794W, on US Ships (decommissioning), by whom an application could be made.

David Jamieson: By the owner of the vessels concerned.

Vehicle Licensing

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his latest estimate is of how many people are driving (a) without a licence and (b) without insurance; and how many unlicensed vehicles he estimates are on the road.

David Jamieson: The Department's Report, "Research into Unlicensed Driving", published on 15 December 2003, estimated that the number of people driving without a valid driving licence would lie in a range between 620,000 and just over 1 million. The Government are committed to tackling this. We are already taking action with the widespread Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras allowing police to target unlicensed vehicles on the road. All police services have 24-hour access to DVLA driving licence records via the Police National Computer.
	The number of people driving without insurance is estimated at approximately 1.25 million 1 . The Department has facilitated links between the Motor Insurance Database and the Police National Computer. The database contains details of every motorist's insurance and every vehicle insured. The police are currently making up to 25,000 checks each day on this database to detect and correct uninsured driving. In addition, the Government have appointed Professor David Greenaway of the University of Nottingham to carry out an independent review of motor insurance arrangements in the U.K, to advise on how to improve procedures and to reduce uninsured driving.
	The number of unlicensed (i.e. untaxed) vehicles is estimated at 1.76 million 2 . Reforms of the vehicle registration system include:
	a system of continuous registration starting in January 2004, requiring vehicle users to re-licence their vehicles on time every year, with automatic penalty notices served on those who fail to comply;
	new registration documents, and tighter but simpler procedures to keep DVLA's vehicle register informed when vehicles change hands;
	new powers given to local authorities to tackle abandoned cars and to bring car dumpers to book;
	bar codes on tax discs and on re-licensing reminders to improve the accuracy of the vehicle register; and
	an increase in DVLA's wheel clamping operations together with the introduction of a DVLA telephone hotline to target evaders.
	In combination, the above measures are designed to improve the accuracy of the vehicle register from around 92 per cent. now to 97.5 per cent. by 2005 and to reduce evasion from around 4.5 per cent. to no more than 2.5 per cent. by 2007.
	1 Source:Insurance industry estimate.
	2 Source:"Vehicle Excise Duty Evasion 2002", published by the Office of National Statistics.

PRIME MINISTER

Asylum Law

Andrew Selous: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Wokingham of 15 December 2003, Official Report, column 1334, what the basis was for his statement that the United Kingdom is not giving up the power to set asylum law.

Tony Blair: EU competence over asylum and immigration does not mean we lose national control. The UK's opt-in to Title IV of the Treaty on European Union, negotiated at Amsterdam, means that we will only participate where it is in British interests. We shall continue to work with European partners—both bilaterally and within the EU—where this is good for Britain.

Chechnya

Tom Brake: To ask the Prime Minister when he last raised the issue of human rights in Chechnya with President Putin.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Reigate (Mr. Blunt) on 18 June 2003, Official Report, column 355.

EU Policy

Richard Spring: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the role that Roger Liddle has with respect to EU policy.

Tony Blair: Roger Liddle is a special adviser covering European issues.

EU Reform

Keith Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister what progress has been made in respect of the joint letter he sent with Chancellor Schröder on the reform of the EU.

Tony Blair: In June 2002, the European Council at Seville agreed a number of practical changes to improve the effectiveness and transparency of the Council, in line with proposals made in the Prime Minister's joint letter of 25 February 2002 with Chancellor Schröder.
	Further reforms of the Council have been considered in the Convention on the Future of Europe and the subsequent Intergovernmental Conference. The Government will continue to pursue these issues as negotiations on a new EU Treaty progress.

Give as You Earn Scheme

John Barrett: To ask the Prime Minister how many and what percentage of staff in his office contribute to a charity through the Give as You Earn scheme; how much money is donated to charity per month by staff in his Department through the scheme; and what steps he is taking to encourage greater participation in the scheme by staff in his Department.

Tony Blair: For these purposes, my office is part of the Cabinet Office. Currently 58 individuals, approximately 3 per cent. of staff in the Cabinet Office, contribute around £1,600 each month to charities through the Give as You Earn scheme.
	The Cabinet Office regularly promotes the scheme through internal staff publications and on the Cabinet Office intranet.
	Giving to charity is a personal matter. The Give as You Earn scheme is not the only method by which staff can donate to charity. For example, they may donate money through Gift Aid or volunteer their time and skills direct to charities.

Public Sector Investment

Andrew Turner: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer to the right hon. and learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Mr. Howard) of 17 December 2003, Official Report, column 1564, what his definition is of public sector investment; and where else in official publications his definition has been employed.

Tony Blair: Public sector investment is defined as capital formation plus the net acquisition of land plus expenditure on capital grants. Capital formation is defined as expenditure, net of sales, on fixed assets (such as buildings, vehicles and machinery), and net stock building.
	Public sector investment can be measured gross or net of depreciation. Public sector net investment and public sector gross investment are measured using data from the national accounts as defined and measured by the Office for National Statistics.
	Several official publications use these definitions, including the Financial Statement and Budget report, pre-Budget report and Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses.

Romania

Keith Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what plans he has to visit Romania;
	(2)  when he last met the Prime Minister of Romania; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I have no current plans to do so.
	I met Prime Minister Nastase in March last year in London. I have also met him at multilateral meetings since then, including European Council.
	The UK looks forward to welcoming Romania to NATO in 2004 and to the EU in 2007 and we continue to provide political and practical support to Romania in pursuit of these aims.

Saddam Hussein

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister whether former President Saddam Hussein is being held in custody as a prisoner of war under the provisions of the Geneva Convention.

Tony Blair: Saddam Hussein is being afforded the rights of a prisoner of war under the Third Geneva Convention until such time as his status is otherwise determined by a tribunal.

Yemen

Keith Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister when he next plans to meet the President of Yemen.

Tony Blair: I have no current plans to do so.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Performing Arts

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assistance is available to children from low income families who wish to pursue careers in the performing arts; and what the most recent figures are for regional uptake.

David Miliband: Through the Music and Dance Scheme, the Department is providing significant means-tested support for over 800 exceptionally talented children aged eight and over at eight independent specialist schools in England. Around one in five families using the scheme are entitled to full remission of fees because of the level of their incomes. Figures for the regional take-up of places are not collected centrally although we are aware of regional disparities in provision. To help address those disparities we are seeking to develop the scheme, over time, by introducing non-residential complementary models to serve as focal points in regions currently poorly served.
	The Dance and Drama Awards are national scholarships for students aged 16 and above and are offered on the basis of talent demonstrated at open audition. Over 60 per cent. of students with these awards have an annual family income of less than £20k.
	There is a range of other assistance available, notably through the national youth music organisations such as the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and through Arts Council England supported programmes such as the National Youth Theatre and through Creative Partnerships. Many Local Education Authority Music Services also provide assistance.

Aimhigher Programme

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans the Government has to expand the Aimhigher programme in Merseyside.

Alan Johnson: Aimhigher (formerly Excellence Challenge) operates in Excellence in Cities (EiC) areas, Education Action Zones (EAZ) and some Excellence Clusters. In April 2004 Aimhigher will merge with Partnerships for Progression, an initiative funded by HEFCE and the LSC. The new Aimhigher will be a coherent national outreach programme operating most intensively in disadvantaged areas and will cover all of Merseyside.

Child Referrals

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many referrals there have been of children up to the age of five years to social services departments in England and Wales in each year since 1997; and who initiated these referrals.

Margaret Hodge: Information on the number of referrals by age group is not collected centrally in England or Wales and nor are details of who initiated referrals. Information was collected for the first time in 2002 on the total number of referrals to social services departments of 0–17 year olds in England and the figure during the year ending 31 March 2002 was 569,400. Total figures for 2003 will be released in the publication "Referrals, Assessments and Children and Young People on Child Protection Registers, England—Year ending 31 March 2003" which is due to be published in January 2004.

Child Support

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what strategies are being developed for supporting the children of people with no recourse to public funds.

Margaret Hodge: Local authority social service departments have a range of powers and duties in relation to children and their families under the Children Act 1989.
	A general duty is placed on local authorities by section 17 of the Children Act 1989 to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in their area who are in need by providing a range of services appropriate to those needs. The definition of a child in need is set out in section 17(10) of the Act, which applies to all children, regardless of whether or not their family has recourse to public funds. Services may be provided for members of the child's family under section 17 if those services help to promote the child's welfare.
	There is also a duty under section 20 of the Children Act to provide accommodation for children in need.

Children At Risk Green Paper

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on how the Green Paper on children at risk will be taken forward; and what major issues attracted most comment during the consultation.

Margaret Hodge: The level of response to the Green Paper 'Every Child Matters' has been exceptionally high with over 4,500 responses received of whom over 3,000 were from children and young people. But as most the responses were received in the final week and just after the consultation period it is too soon to say what major issues attracted most comment. The majority of those that have been processed are broadly in support of the aims of the Green Paper.
	I propose to publish a report in February which will set out the way forward.

Children in Care

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of children taken into care in each of the past 10 years had mothers in prison service custody at the time at which they were taken into care.

Margaret Hodge: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Children in Care

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children under 18 there were in the care of the local authority in (a) St. Helens and (b) Merseyside in (i) 2001, (ii) 2002 and (iii) 2003.

David Miliband: The information requested is shown as follows for the years 2001 and 2002. Local and regional figures for looked after children for 2003 are due to be published in March 2004.
	
		Number of children looked after at 31 March 2001 and31 March 2002
		
			  2001 2002 
		
		
			 St. Helens 270 260 
			 Merseyside 2,425 2,405 
		
	
	Source:
	SSDA903 survey

Children in Prisons

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what advice he has issued to social services departments following the recent judgement that the Children Act 1989 applies to children in prisons.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 16 December 2003
	The duties of Councils with Social Services Responsibilities towards children, including those in prisons, are set out in the Children Act 1989 and its associated regulations and guidance.
	A revised Prison Service Order 4950 Regimes for Prisoners Under 18 Years Old will be issued early in the New Year in two stages; the first by February 2004 and a further more thorough version subsequently, following a recent review of safeguarding procedures in prison services, on which work is still taking place.
	The booklet What To Do If You're Worried A Child Is Being Abused, published in May2003, applies to all children and young people irrespective of whether they are living at home with their families and carers or away from home.

Education (North-west)

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children are benefiting from the Sure Start programme in (a) St. Helens South, (b) St. Helens, (c) Merseyside and (d) the North West Region.

Margaret Hodge: The approximate numbers of children aged under 4 who live in areas covered by Sure Start local programmes, are as follows:
	(a) 2,100 are eligible for services covered by the three Sure Start local programmes in St. Helens South constituency;
	(b) 3,300 are eligible in the St. Helens local authority area;
	(c) 20,000 are eligible in Merseyside (including Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St. Helens and the Wirral local authority areas); and
	(d) 76,000 are eligible in the North West Region.

Further Education

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many qualified further education lecturers were working in further education colleges in England on the last date for which figures are available.

Alan Johnson: The numbers of staff teaching in FE colleges in England in 2001/02 and holding a teaching qualification are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Fully qualified Part-qualified Total 
		
		
			 Full-time staff 22,400 5,500 27,800 
			 Part-time staff 18,200 13,700 31,800 
			 Total 40,500 19,100 59,700 
		
	
	Source:
	LSC Staff Individualised Record, 2001/02.

Further Education

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in what circumstances further education staff members can be (a) removed from post and (b) redeployed because they do not hold specific qualifications.

Alan Johnson: Following the enactment of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, Further Education colleges were established as independent corporations. As such, colleges are responsible for setting the pay and conditions of service of their staff.
	The Further Education Teachers' Qualifications (England) Regulations 2001(http://www.legislation. hmso.gov.uk/si/si2001/20011209.htm) provide, as of September 2001, that new FE teachers must gain a teaching qualification appropriate to their role within a time limit. This requirement does not apply, however, to those who have previously worked either as an FE teacher, a teacher in a maintained school or an equivalent elsewhere in the UK or EEA. Where a teacher fails to obtain such a qualification it is for the employing corporation to decide what action it should take to meet its legal obligations within the regulations, it is for the employing college to decide what action it should take.

Further Education

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which further education staff have to hold a qualification in mathematics as a prerequisite for holding their positions.

Alan Johnson: Under the terms of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 the recruitment of all staff, including those teaching mathematics, is the responsibility of individual FE colleges. Colleges need to ensure all staff have appropriate skills to meet the needs of learners. In order to support the Skills for Life agenda, the Department's policy is that from September 2002, new teachers and subject support staff who wish to specialise in teaching adult numeracy obtain, within specified timescales, an approved specialist numeracy qualification in addition to their generic initial teacher training.

Further Education

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what changes there have been to the regulatory framework for further education in the past five years that require staff to meet specific qualification levels to entitle them to continue to hold their positions.

Alan Johnson: The Further Education Teachers' Qualifications (England) Regulations 2001 (http://www.leqislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2001/20011209.htm) provide, as of September 2001, that new FE teachers must gain a teaching qualification appropriate to their role within a time limit. This requirement does not apply, however, to those who have previously worked either as an FE teacher, a teacher in a maintained school or an equivalent elsewhere in the UK or EEA. Where a teacher fails to obtain such a qualification it is for the employing corporation to decide what action it should take to meet its legal obligations within the regulations, it is for the employing college to decide what action it should take.

Further Education

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds in Stoke-on-Trent who started further education courses in each year since 1997 completed their course.

Ivan Lewis: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) calculate and publish retention (completion) rates by the year the qualification was expected to end as opposed to the year it was started. The proportions of qualifications completed at further education colleges in Stoke-on-Trent by 16–18 year olds in the three years to 2001/02 are shown in the following table.
	
		Retention rates in LSC funded provision for 16–18 year olds studying at FE colleges in Stoke-on-Trent by college and expected end year -- Percentage
		
			  Expected end year 
			 College 1999/2000 2000/01 2001/02 
		
		
			  
			  
			 Stoke-on-Trent College 73 78 75 
			 City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College 74 82 93 
		
	
	Source:
	Individualised Student Record

Further Education

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list initiatives launched by his Department in each of the past three years which required (a) higher education institutions, (b) further education institutions and (c) schools to make a formal response to his Department.

Alan Johnson: A list of the initiatives my Department has consulted on in the past three years can be found at www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations/. Consultation on initiatives launched by the Department adheres to the guidance in the Cabinet Office code of practice on written consultation. There is no requirement for higher education institutions, further education institutions or schools to formally respond to initiatives the Department consults on.

Identity Cards

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the implications of the introduction of compulsory identity cards for his Department.

Charles Clarke: The Home Office has lead responsibility for developing the national identity cards scheme, which was announced by the Home Secretary on 11 November. I welcome the incremental introduction of a secure form of identification as offering the opportunity to develop and realise a number of potential benefits for learners, funding bodies and providers. The introduction of the scheme is a long-term undertaking and my officials will continue to work closely with the Home Office during the next phase of development.

List 99

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in how many cases in the last five years schools have turned down a job applicant following checks against List 99.

David Miliband: holding answer 18 December 2003
	My Department does not hold this information.

List 99

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what duties are placed on social services departments to pass relevant details to the Department of Health and Department for Education and Skills for additions to List 99.

David Miliband: holding answer 18 December 2003
	Under the Protection of Children Act (POCA) 1999, all regulated child care organisations have a statutory duty to refer names for possible inclusion on the POCA list of those individuals considered unsuitable to work with children. POCA amended the Education Reform Act 1988 to provide that anyone included on the POCA list (other than provisionally) should also be included on List 99.

List 99

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether it is compulsory for schools to check List 99 before employing an individual; and what safeguards are in place to ensure that schools do so.

David Miliband: holding answer 18 December 2003
	Employers in the education service are required to check List 99 before employing a person to work with children. My Department has issued guidance to the education service about List 99 and other pre-employment checks and I have no reason to believe that employers are not complying with this.

Literacy and Numeracy Hours

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the findings in the Ofsted report on National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy on the quality of teaching in the daily literacy and numeracy hours.

Stephen Twigg: We welcome this year's Ofsted report on the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies which found that they continue to have a considerable positive impact on primary schools. Teachers have broadened their approaches to teaching across the curriculum, but we recognise too the significant issues identified by Ofsted that schools need to address, including unsatisfactory teaching and teachers' weak subject knowledge. Through the strategy set out in "Excellence and Enjoyment" we have a comprehensive agenda for schools and local education authorities to address the strengths and weaknesses identified in the report. By having a greater focus on teaching and learning we will help schools build their capacity to embed the literacy and numeracy strategies across a rich and broad curriculum.

Local Education Authorities

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list for each local education authority the aggregated amount of money carried forward in its schools devolved budgets at April.

David Miliband: The information requested is not yet available. The Department is awaiting section 52 outturn statements for 2002–03 from six LEAs. Once the data is available I will write to my hon. Friend.

Maintenance Loan

Gerry Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 15 December, Official Report, column. 666W, on higher education, at what level of parental income students will no longer be eligible for the full maintenance loan; and at what level of parental income students will be eligible for no more than 75 per cent. of the maintenance loan.

Alan Johnson: For English and Welsh students attending institutions in the UK in academic year 2004/05, the required information is set out in the following table:
	
		(£000)
		
			  Full year Final year 
			 Support covered Householdresidual income Householdresidual income 
		
		
			 Entitlement to 100 per cent. loan 31,973 31,973 
			 Entitlement to 75 per cent. of the loan at:   
			 London rate 43,943 42,375 
			 Elsewhere rate 41,710 40,428 
			 Parental home rate 39,668 38,670

Non-resident Parents

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  whether it is his policy to establish a legal presumption of contact with children for non-resident parents;
	(2)  whether he plans to bring forward proposals to change the law to establish a legal presumption of contact with children for non-resident parents.

Margaret Hodge: 2 FLR 124 in the following terms:
	"Where parents of a child are separated and the child is in the day-to-day care of one of them, it is almost always in the interests of the child that he or she should have contact with the other parent."
	This judgment means that inherent in the courts' interpretation of the Children Act 1989, is a belief that there would normally be contact between children and both their parents.
	The Adoption and Children Act 2002 contains a provision that clarifies the definition of harm set out in the Children Act 1989. This makes clear that harm includes any harm a child may suffer or is at risk of suffering as a result of witnessing the ill-treatment of another person. The Adoption and Children Act 2002 received Royal Assent on 7 November 2002. When implemented, this new definition will apply to family proceedings relating to contact and residence applications.
	There are currently no plans to establish a legal presumption of contact between children and their non-resident parents. The interest of the child should be the basis for any decision. However, the Government support the view that, in general, children benefit from a continuing relationship with both parents following parental separation, where it is in the best interests of the child and safe for all family members.
	A recent study suggested that it was rare for courts to refuse a father all contact with his children and that of finalised contact cases initiated by fathers, only 10 per cent. resulted in an order for indirect contact. A copy of this research report has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	Source:
	'Residence and Contact Disputes in Court, Volume V by Carol Smart, Vanessa May, Amanda Wade and Claire Furniss (September 2003: Centre for Research on Family, Kinship and Childhood, University of Leeds).

Non-vocational Community Education

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what instructions he has given to (a) Learning and Skills Councils and (b) local education authorities regarding the provision of non-vocational community education; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: As set out in the Skills Strategy White Paper, "21st Century Skills Realising our Potential", in each local area the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for securing a full range of lifelong learning opportunities for adults suitable to meet local needs. Adult and Community Learning programmes will be seen as an integral part of the wider learning opportunities for the areas.
	To safeguard the availability of these types of learning, the Government and the LSC have agreed an overall indicative budget to support non-qualification bearing programmes. That budget covers, for example, family learning, learning for older people, active citizenship, community development, and learning through cultural activities.
	From within that national budget, the LSC will agree with local LSCs a minimum figure to spend on such learning activities. Each local LSC will now decide with its local partners-including local education authorities, colleges, community and voluntary groups-the priorities for spending those funds in order to maximise the civic, social and cultural gain for the area.

Non-vocational Community Education

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the resources allocated by central Government to non-vocational community education in the years 1997–98 to 2003–04.

Ivan Lewis: I have set out in the following tables figures for expenditure as set by central Government for (i) adult and community learning run through local education authorities; (ii) learndirect; and (iii) Skills for Life. Together these equate most closely to non-vocational community education.
	
		Adult and community learning
		
			 Date Funding (£ million)(15) 
		
		
			 2000–01 145 
			 2001–02 153 
			 2002–03 183 
			 2003–04 206 
		
	
	(15) Annual budget, by financial year, on adult and community learning run through local education authorities (recurrent figures). The figures for 2002–03 and 2003–04 include the budgets for neighbourhood learning and family learning, starting from a nil base in 2001–02. Prior to 2000–01, national figures are not available for adult and community learning as responsibility adult and community learning rested with local education authorities.
	
		learndirect
		
			 Date (academic year) Funding (£ million)(16) 
		
		
			 1999/2000 5 (pilot) 
			 2000/01 49 
			 2001/02 134 
			 2002/03 171 
			 2003/04 178 
		
	
	(16) Figures for learndirect do not go back further than 1999/2000, as it was not in existence before that date.
	
		Skills for Life
		
			 Date (academic year) Funding (£ million)(17) 
		
		
			 2001/02 253 
			 2002/03 259 
			 2003/04 290 
		
	
	(17) Figures do not go back before 2001/02 as the Skills for Life programme began in 2001.

Pre-school Places

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time nursery places were available in Warrington, North in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: The information is not available in the form requested.
	Figures on the number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four-year-olds in Warrington local education authority area are shown in the table.
	The latest figures on early years provision in England were released by the Department on 27 November 2003 in the Statistical Bulletin "Provision For Children Under Five Years Of Age In England—January 2003", electronic copies of which are available from the Department's website, www.dfes.gov.uk/statistics.
	We have made the commitment that by April 2004, six months ahead of our original target, all three-year-olds in England whose parents want one, will have access to a free, part-time early education place.
	
		Number of free nursery education places(18),(19) taken up by three and four-year-old children— Warrington Local Education Authority area 1997–2003, position in January each year
		
			  Number of places 
		
		
			 1997 3,200 
			 1998 3,300 
			 1999 3,200 
			 2000 3,400 
			 2001 4,300 
			 2002 4,400 
			 2003 4,400 
		
	
	(18) Part-time equivalent number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four-year-old children.
	(19) A free nursery education place comprises five two-and-a-half-hour sessions of early years education per week, for thirty-three weeks of the year, usually three terms of eleven weeks.

Pre-school Places

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to increase the (a) number of sessions and (b) terms for the pre-school sector in Devon.

Margaret Hodge: The Code of Practice already makes clear that the 55 sessions of funded early education represents a minimum annual entitlement for four year olds, and from April 2004, for three year olds. There is also flexibility within the Code to allow providers to spread the annual entitlement over a term of up to 14 weeks.

Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what additional financial resources he will provide to enable the pre-school sector to employ special needs co-ordinators for individual children.

Margaret Hodge: There is no plan to employ special needs co-ordinators for individual children. Every setting is required to have a lead person, or special educational needs co-ordinator, with responsibility for overall policy for all the children in the setting with special educational needs and for co-ordinating services for individual children.

Specialist Schools

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many local education authorities have made it a condition of supporting a school's bid for specialist status that the school does not exercise its right to select pupils by aptitude.

David Miliband: holding answer 18 December 2003
	No local education authorities (LEA) have informed the Department for Education and Skills that a condition of the authority's support for a school's bid for specialist status is that the school does not select pupils by aptitude. The LEA is the admission authority for many specialist schools and may decide that it would not choose to admit by aptitude.

Specialist Schools

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many specialist schools have exercised their right to select pupils by aptitude.

David Miliband: holding answer 18 December 2003
	On the basis of the latest collated information, 40 specialist schools have chosen to select pupils by aptitude.

Speech Therapists

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the availability of speech and language therapists for those with special educational needs in Essex;
	(2)  what recent estimate his Department has made of the waiting time for children with special educational needs to access speech and language therapy; and through which organisations this service is provided.

Stephen Ladyman: I have been asked to reply.
	Primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities, local authorities, and other local stakeholders have the responsibility of improving the health of the community, securing the provision of high quality services, and integrating health and social care locally. They have the resources to commission services, and to identify the number of professional staff that they need to deliver those services. This process provides the means for addressing local needs within the health community including the provision of speech and language therapy. Information on waiting times for these services is not collected centrally.

Statementing (Portsmouth)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children have been statemented as having special needs in the constituency of Portsmouth South in each year since 2001.

Margaret Hodge: The available information relates to the number of pupils with statements of special educational needs attending schools in the constituency of Portsmouth South, and is shown in the following table.
	
		All schools: Number of pupils with Statements of Special Educational Needs (SEN) -- Position in January each year 2001 to 2003
		
			 Portsmouth South constituency Number of pupils with statements of SEN 
		
		
			 2001(20) n/a 
			 2002(21) 221 
			 2003(21) 174 
		
	
	n/a = Not available.
	(20) For 2001 SEN data are known to be incomplete and estimates at this level are not deemed reliable.
	(21) Changes in the way stages of SEN are reported were introduced in 2002 and more widely used in 2003. It is possible that some discontinuity in the time series data has resulted from this underlying change.
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census
	The number of pupils who have been newly statemented is not available at parliamentary constituency level.

Top-up Fees

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 3 December 2003, Official Report, column 94W, on top-up fees, when he expects to publish the regulatory impact assessment.

Alan Johnson: The Regulatory Impact Assessment will be published in the new year.

Workforce Reform

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will place a copy of the paper, "Workforce Reform—Blue Skies", in the Library.

David Miliband: holding answer 11 December 2003
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 15 December 2003, Official Report, column 671W.

WALES

Children's Commissioner

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list reports produced by the Children's Commissioner for Wales.

Don Touhig: Since the establishment of the post of Children's Commissioner for Wales in March 2001 the Commissioner has produced three reports. The three reports published to date are:
	The Annual Report 2001–2002—Published Oct 02
	The Annual Report 2002–2003—Published Oct 03
	Telling Concerns—Published Feb 03
	I expect a further two reports will be published in late January/early February 2004 along with a third in the spring of 2004.

Disabled Civil Servants

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many senior civil servants in his Department are disabled, expressed in (a) numbers and (b) as a percentage of whole-time equivalents.

Don Touhig: None. There is only one member of the Senior Civil Service in the Wales Office.

Potato Ring Rot

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the National Assembly of Wales about the discovery of potato ring rot in mid-Wales.

Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend has regular meetings with the First Secretary and I meet the Assembly Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside to discuss a variety of issues, including the recent outbreak of potato ring rot.
	The Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate and the Welsh Assembly took swift action to contain the outbreak following it's discovery, during a routine annual check. Notices were issued under the Plant Health Order, stopping all movements of potatoes from the farm and three additional farms in England that had recently taken a delivery of seed potatoes from the infected farm.
	The variety sent to the English farms has tested negative for ring rot but will not be used as seed as a precautionary measure. Tests have now been completed on 1,500 tonnes of potatoes at Middlewood Farm. Two stocks associated with the variety 'Provento' have been found to be infected. The remaining 20 stocks of other varieties of seed potatoes, at the outbreak farm have been found free from potato ring rot.
	It is a credit to the systems that the Welsh Assembly and UK Government have in place that the disease was identified during a routine check and that the swift action taken by all concerned successfully contained and managed the outbreak.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Asylum Appeals

Mark Oaten: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many asylum appeal cases remitted back to the Immigration Appellate Authority by the Immigration Appeals Tribunal were (a) reconsidered by an adjudicator and (b) withdrawn by (i) the Home Office and (ii) the applicant in the last year for which figures are available; and of those asylum appeal cases remitted and reconsidered by the Immigration Appellate Authority; how many were (A) successful and (B) unsuccessful.

David Lammy: For the period 1 October 2002 to 30 September 2003 there were 3,339 asylum appeals remitted from the Immigration Appeal Tribunal to the Immigration Appellate Authority Adjudicators of which a total of (a) 2,466 remitted asylum appeals have been promulgated by adjudicators. (b) (i) Appeals before the Immigration Appellate Authority are appeals against a Home Office decision and can only be withdrawn by the Appellant pursuant to Rule 42 of The Immigration and Asylum Appeals (Procedure) Rules 2003. (ii) A total of 55 remitted asylum appeals were withdrawn by the appellant from the 1 October 2002 to 30 September 2003. (A)(B) There have been 2,466 remitted asylum appeals promulgated between 1 October 2003 and 30 September 2003 for which the Immigration Appellate Authority has recorded an outcome of appeal allowed, appeal dismissed or appeal withdrawn. A total of 1,772 remitted asylum appeals were dismissed, with 639 remitted asylum appeals being allowed.

Entry Clearance

David Lidington: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many appeals against the refusal of entry clearance from Pakistan for (a) spouses, (b) fiancés, (c) dependent children and (d) dependent elderly relatives are now awaiting consideration by the Independent Appellate Authority; what the average time taken between the IAA receiving papers and an appeal being heard was in 2003; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Immigration Appellate Authority does not differentiate between different categories of immigration and non-asylum appeals and is unable to provide the information without incurring disproportionate costs; For the period from the 1 October 2002 to the 30 September 2003 the average time for an immigration and non-asylum appeal to reach a substantive hearing before an Adjudicator is 14 weeks following the receipt of the appeal papers by the Immigration Appellate Authority.

European Court of Human Rights

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will publish the (a) procedures and (b) timetables being followed by the Government to produce the list of nominees for election by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe as United Kingdom Judge on the European Court of Human Rights; and whether the list will include at least one man and one woman.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 18 December 2003
	The procedures adopted by the Government for the nomination of candidates for the position of UK judge at the European Court of Human Rights follow those used previously for this and other international judicial appointments. The timetable is as follows:
	11–16 November 2003: advertisement of position in national press
	28 November 2003: closing date for written applications
	December 2003: panel meets to select candidates for interview
	January 2004: panel interviews potential candidates and recommends three nomination list
	By 30 January 2004: list of three nominees to be approved by UK Ministers
	30 January 2004: transmission of list to the Council of Europe
	In view of the above procedure, it is not possible at this stage to comment on the composition of the list of three candidates to be nominated at the end of January.

European Court of Human Rights

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many senior appointments in the administration of the European Court of Human Rights are unfilled; and for how long the vacancies have been unfilled.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 18 December 2003
	There is one senior appointment in the administration of the European Court of Human Rights which is unfilled. This vacancy has existed since November 2002. The UK Government hopes this position can be filled in the near future.

European Court of Human Rights

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps he has taken to resolve the outstanding difficulties relating to the pensions and social security rights of judges of the European Court of Human Rights; and when he expects the matter to be concluded.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 18 December 2003
	The UK is currently waiting to see an actuarial review of the proposals made in relation to improving the benefits package for judges at the European Court of Human Rights. Once this has been published the Committee of Ministers will then be in a position to assess the feasibility of the schemes proposed. Publishing of the actuaries' report is expected in early 2004, with a decision on a package to be taken later in the year.

Postal Voting

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs who took the decision to ask the Electoral Commission to determine which regions should be selected for postal voting pilot schemes in the forthcoming European parliamentary elections in 2004.

Christopher Leslie: The decision to ask the Electoral Commission to recommend which regions would be suitable for piloting and the type of pilots they should hold was a collective decision, taken by the Government.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Fair Trade Products

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General whether it is the policy of her Department to use fair trade products, as a matter of course, in (a) sales on Departmental premises and (b) receptions and meetings involving staff and visitors.

Harriet Harman: Neither the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers nor the Serious Fraud Office sells products. It is the policy of both Departments to support the principles of government procurement ensuring that it obtains overall value for money and complies with EU procurement rules. This is the policy applied for all products.
	The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) encourages ethical purchasing as a key element of its procurement policy. The CPS contracted catering facility at its Headquarters in Ludgate Hill, London sells a selection of Fair Trade products which are available to staff and for meetings involving staff and visitors.
	HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) does not sell products of any sort on its premises. Catering for receptions and meetings involving staff and visitors is provided by local contractors. HMCPSI does not specify how contractors should obtain their supplies. The procurement policy for all goods and services is to use reliable suppliers of suitable products that offer good value for taxpayers' money. When Government policy exists in respect of specific types of goods or services then this is taken into account for contracts of material value.
	The Treasury Solicitor's Department has no provision for making sales of any sort on its premises. Fair trade tea and coffee is, however, used where it is served at meetings and receptions involving staff and visitors

Guantanmo Bay

Gary Streeter: To ask the Solicitor-General what assessment she has made of the case for bringing charges of treason against British detainees in Guantanamo Bay upon their return to the United Kingdom.

Harriet Harman: Decisions to prosecute are made independently by the Crown Prosecution Service in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors. A prosecution will be brought if there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and it is in the public interest to prosecute. If a decision to prosecute is made all relevant charges will be considered in deciding what charge an individual should face.

Timber

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Solicitor-General by what means the Law Officers' Department's policy for purchasing timber and timber products ensures that they are obtained from legal and sustainable sources.

Harriet Harman: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not purchase timber and timber products directly. Furniture and building refurbishments are the two areas where the CPS may purchase products containing timber.
	The CPS purchases furniture from framework contracts available from OGC buying solutions, whose products have been certified as being from legal and sustainable sources. For refurbishment work, the CPS engages its property managing agents to undertake a competitive tender using the National Building Specifications as part of standard specification, which includes the requirement to use certified timber.
	HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) is a small Department and it does not have a policy relating to procurement of timber or timber products. It does not purchase timber and purchase of timber products is limited to paper and occasional purchases of office furniture. The procurement policy for all goods and services is to use reliable suppliers of suitable products that offer good value for taxpayers' money. When Government policy exists in respect of specific types of goods or services then this is taken into account for contracts of material value.
	The SFO when purchasing timber and timber products requires suppliers to provide written verification that the products are from legal and sustainable sources.
	The Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers and the Treasury Solicitor's Department are not major consumers of timber or timber products but when timber is required, it is the Departments' policy to instruct contractors that it must be obtained lawfully only from sustainable sources, and to verify that this is done.

CABINET OFFICE

Hutton Inquiry

Peter Lilley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list meetings and discussions that (a) his Department and (b) other Government departments have held on the report by Lord Hutton into the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr. David Kelly, broken down by date; and if he will list those present at each meeting.

Douglas Alexander: Lord Hutton has yet to present his report to the Government. The Prime Minister has already made clear he will be making a statement to the House on the day of publication.

Hutton Inquiry

Peter Lilley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will place in the Library the official minutes for the series of running meetings on 7 and 8 July referred to during the inquiry by Lord Hutton into the death of Dr. David Kelly (ref: Hutton Inquiry Evidence, CAB/7/0009–13).

Douglas Alexander: The notes of the meetings referred to are on the website of the Hutton Inquiry listed as evidence number CAB/7/0009–13.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Gibraltar

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs supplementary to his oral answer to question No. 4, 16 December 2003: "Given that 98.5 per cent. of the population of Gibraltar again voted in a referendum against any sharing of sovereignty with the Spanish, that the Chief Minister of Gibraltar has been re-elected with more than 50 per cent. of the vote on that platform, that Gibraltarians will be represented in the European Parliament from next year, and that the Spanish have apparently just negotiated a deal for sub-Mediterranean tunnel with the Moroccans, with whom they have territorial disputes, will the Minister tell us what progress has been achieved on the availability of the phone lines and health care that the Spanish provide for the Gibraltarians? What progress has been made on the ridiculous business involving having to fly over Spanish territory on Gibraltar flights that cannot land? Such a right would be accorded under treaty to any other member of the EU".

Denis MacShane: pursuant to his answer, 16 December 2003, Official Report c. 1418
	I made an error in my answer, in the House, of 16 December to the hon. Member. The answer should have read as follows:
	"The hon. Gentleman makes good and fair points. We want Spanish recognition of the 00350 number for Gibraltar, but they are not yet willing to concede that. The Government of Gibraltar had asked us to investigate the possibility of creating a wider Crown Dependencies number of 00350, but the other Crown Dependencies were not interested in that solution. We will continue negotiating with the Spanish and talking to them about the problem. They could send a positive signal to the people of Gibraltar and be helpful on the situation with the telephone lines".

Arms Trade

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with representatives of other governments about restricting international arms trading; what restrictions he plans to introduce; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mike Hancock) on 23 October 2003, Official Report, column 654W.

Arms Trade

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on the export of arms.

Denis MacShane: Britain has one of the strictest and most transparent arms export licensing systems in the world. All export licence applications are rigorously assessed on a case by case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria, taking account of the circumstances prevailing at the time and other announced Government policies. Our criteria clearly set out our commitment to take account of the risk that exports might be used for either internal repression or external aggression.
	The British Government have been in the forefront of international efforts to strengthen the regulation of the arms trade and proliferation. We were instrumental in getting agreement for an EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports, and we regularly encourage other countries to adopt stricter and more transparent arms export policies. We are active members of all the key regimes that work to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, such as the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, and the Australia Group (which deals with chemical and biological weapons). The UK is also a member of key arms control treaties, such as the Ottawa Convention on Landmines, the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty, the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.
	We remain committed to working with other states to find common ground on the issue of export controls. The UK aims to forge partnerships across regions, with states who have different perspectives and approaches to the export of arms, in an effort to secure a universal commitment to strengthening export controls, thereby making an important contribution to the global effort to combat weapons of proliferation.

Art Acquisition

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on the acquisition of works of art in each year since 1997, broken down by amounts spent on (a) paintings and (b) sculpture; what the single most expensive piece of art purchased by his Department since 1997 was; how much it cost; and what the total revenue raised by his Department through sales of its works of art has been since 1997.

Bill Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has spent the following in acquiring works of art since 1997:
	
		£
		
			  Paintings Sculptures Total 
		
		
			 1997–98 190,820 125,989 316,809 
			 1998–99 15,300 — 15,300 
			 1999–2000 67,054 85,000 152,054 
			 2000–01 72,000 190,000 262,000 
			 2001–02 — — — 
			 2002–03 — — — 
			 Total 345,174 400,989 746,163 
		
	
	The single most expensive piece of art purchased over this time was 'Dancing Columns', a sculpture by Tony Cragg, which cost £190,000 in the financial year 2000–01.
	The Department has not sold any works of art over this period.

Brussels Summit

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the text referred to in the Declaration of the President of the EU as a negotiating acquis; and whether it is regarded by the Government as a negotiating acquis not open to further discussion.

Denis MacShane: We have placed copies of all the documents produced by the Presidency during the IGC in the Library of the Houses. These include a compromise text tabled for the Naples Conclave on 28–29 November 2003 and a further text tabled in the week preceding the European Council. Yet another compromise text, promised for the second day of the European Council, was not in the event tabled, though the President of the European Council, Mr. Berlusconi, drew on it when summing up at the end of the meeting.
	Until the negotiations are completed, all aspects are potentially open to further discussion. But the Italian Presidency went through the normal negotiating process of successive refinements and approximations of a text, in the search for consensus, and we would expect the next Presidency to want to draw upon this work.

Burundi

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what funding his Department has given to Burundi in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003;
	(2)  what assistance has been given in the last five years for the reconstruction of Burundi, including (a) assisting returning displaced people and disaster victims and (b) disarmament, demobilisation, retraining and rehabilitation of fighters.

Chris Mullin: Over the last five years the UK has put over £5 million into bilateral aid to Burundi, mostly in humanitarian and health interventions, including for displaced persons, and peace-building activities. In addition we have put 2 million US dollars into a Trust Fund for debt alleviation. The UK has also contributed 25 million US dollars to another Trust Fund for a regional programme of Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration in the region, of which Burundi will be a beneficiary.
	We also disbursed £25,000 in 2002–03 to support mediation efforts in Burundi and have so far spent £134,326 in this financial year on governance issues. We have also provided support to the African Union peacekeeping force (AU African Mission in Burundi) with a contribution of £3.7 million to the Mozambican Government to help equip their 217-strong contingent. Following a request from the AU Chairman (Konare) to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, we have agreed to support AMIB further through a contribution of £2 million to the AU administered Trust Fund.
	We have also funded a number of small projects in Burundi using FCO/DFID funds, for example:
	
		£
		
			 Project Cost 
		
		
			 Small grant scheme (SGS) 
			 2001–02 47,921 
			 2002–03 47,256 
			 2003–04 (22)75,000 
			 FCO departmental programme budget 
			 2002–03 6,000 
			 FCO human rights project fund 
			 2002–03 59,996 
		
	
	(22) Estimate of likely spend.

Burundi

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the leader of Burundi on preventing the supplying, training and arming of rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Chris Mullin: We strongly support the arms embargo introduced in UN Security Council Resolution 1493 of 28 July 2003 which calls on all states, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to take measures to prevent such support. We are supporting proposals for an arms monitoring mechanism in the DRC.
	We have a regular dialogue with the Government of Burundi and continue to encourage the Government of Burundi to pursue a negotiated agreement to bring the remaining rebel group (FNL-Rwasa) into the peace process.

Burundi

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the situation in Burundi.

Chris Mullin: Recent developments in Burundi are encouraging but there is a long way to go. The implementation of a cease-fire and inclusion of former rebels into government following agreement in Dar es Salaam in November is good news. The African Mission in Burundi (supported by the UK) is deployed and preparing for the disarmament., demobilisation and reintegration of rebel forces. The country is preparing for elections and the end of the transition in November 2004. However, many challenges remain. Poverty remains widespread and the economic situation is poor. One rebel group remains outside the peace process. The UK will continue to support efforts to bring peace, security, stability and progress to Burundi.

Central Asian Drugs Action Plan

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 9 December 2003, Official Report, column 421W, on the Central Asian Drugs Action Plan, what effect the implementation of the Central Asian Drugs Action Plan has had on the importation of heroin from Afghanistan into the UK.

Bill Rammell: It is estimated that over 80 per cent. of Afghan heroin reaching the UK arrives via Turkey, with Pakistan and Iran being key staging posts en route. The majority of Afghan heroin trafficked via the Central Asian Republics is judged to be destined for consumption in Russia and other countries in the region, rather than for onward transit to the European Union and United Kingdom. The trafficking of Afghan heroin via the Central Asian Republics is therefore not a significant factor in determining the amount of heroin reaching the UK.

Chechnya

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what actions his Department has taken to advance the cause of human rights in Chechnya.

Bill Rammell: We continue to be concerned over the human rights situation in Chechnya and consistent reports of human rights abuses, including reports of rising numbers of abductions and disappearances. We regularly raise UK concerns on the situation in Chechnya with the Russian Government. We most recently did so following the Chechen Presidential elections, when I called for human rights to be upheld in Chechnya. The UK also supported EU statements before and after the elections which raised similar concerns.

China

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Chinese authorities about the case of Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche (Aa'n Zhaxi); and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We have raised Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche's case with the Chinese authorities on a number of occasions. I did so most recently with Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui in Beijing on 17 December 2003. He replied that Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche had had a fair and public trial and been sentenced in accordance with Chinese law. We will continue to express our concerns about this case.

Colombia

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he is holding with the Colombian Government on human rights and freedom for trade union activities.

Bill Rammell: We have a regular dialogue with the Colombian Government as well as with non-governmental organisations and trade unions on these issues. I raised relevant concerns during my visit to Colombia in May 2003 and again when I met the Colombian Foreign Minister in New York in September 2003. These issues were given prominence in the London Declaration issued at the London Meeting on International Support for Colombia in July. A Working Group in Bogota of the governments who attended the Meeting is monitoring, and will evaluate progress on, the implementation of the London Declaration.

Colombia

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make inquiries about the whereabouts of the two Colombian military officers found guilty of the murder of Manuel Capeda.

Bill Rammell: The Colombian authorities have informed us that these officers are currently serving prison sentences for the murder of Manuel Capeda in a state prison in the city of Ibague.

Disabled Civil Servants

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many senior civil servants in his Department are disabled, expressed in (a) numbers and (b) as a percentage of whole-time equivalents.

Mike O'Brien: At September 2003, eight FCO staff in the Senior Management Structure declared themselves to have a disability. This represents 1.7 per cent. of all staff at this level.

Draft European Constitution

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons his Department (a) tabled an amendment to the draft European constitution to delete sub-clauses 2(a) to (g) from Article III-167 and (b) ceased to have an objection to these sub-clauses.

Denis MacShane: Article III-167 paragraph 2 of the Convention on the Future of Europe's draft Constitutional Treaty for the EU concerns the Union's common policy on asylum. The UK tabled an amendment to the Convention draft of this article because it believed that the text could be improved by focusing it more on general provisions setting out the desired purpose and outcomes of European cooperation in this area. However, in the light of discussions during the IGC, and given that any UK participation would be on the basis of the Title IV Protocol, the Government decided not to pursue these proposals, and is content with the latest draft Treaty text.

EU-Israel Association Agreement

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent meetings he has had with EU counterparts to discuss Article II of the EU-Israel Association Agreement relating to adherence to human rights.

Denis MacShane: The EU last discussed Israel's adherence to human rights and the EU/Israel Association Agreement at the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 17 November 2003, immediately prior to the EU/Israel Association Council.
	The EU has serious concerns about the lack of respect shown for the human rights of both Israeli and Palestinian people in this conflict. Along with our EU partners, we have followed a policy of constructive engagement with Israel on humanitarian and human rights issues. At the EU/Israel Association Council the EU called on Israel to abstain from any punitive measures that are not in accordance with international law, including extra-judicial killings and destruction of houses.

EU-Israel Association Agreement

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the status is of the city of Jerusalem in the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

Denis MacShane: The EU/Israel Association Agreement defines the scope of its coverage as the EU and the State of Israel. It does not define further what is meant by the "State of Israel".
	The Government and the International Community consider that the status of Jerusalem is one of the issues to be resolved by negotiations between the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority in a permanent status agreement that ends the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Pending agreement, the Government recognises de facto Israeli authority over West Jerusalem, but consider East Jerusalem to be occupied territory. We recognise no sovereignty over the city.

EU-Israel Association Agreement

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what controls exist on the import of products from illegal Israeli settlements to prevent their entry to the UK under preferential treatment within the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

Denis MacShane: The European Commission published, in November 2001, a notice to importers in the Official Journal of the European Communities alerting EC importers to the ineligibility of products originating in the Occupied Territories for the preferences provided by the EU/Israel Association Agreement.
	HM Customs and Excise are verifying the origin of certain products. Where products are found to have originated in the Occupied Territories HM Customs and Excise collect duty from the UK importers. Other EU member states' customs authorities, working with the European Commission, are taking similar action to enforce EC law.

Great Lakes

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the use of child soldiers in the countries of the Great Lakes region in Africa.

Chris Mullin: The UK condemns unequivocally the use of child soldiers.
	We are particularly concerned about the widespread use of child soldiers in the Great Lakes region. The UK has contributed US$25 million to the Multi-Country Demobilisation and Reintegration Programme (MDRP). The funds for this will be used in part in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to enable the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) of child soldiers. We have provided an additional £750,000 directly to UNICEF to help its programme until funding under the MDRP becomes available. The UK has also provided technical assistance to the Congolese to enable them to draw up a National Programme for DDR.
	In Uganda, the UK gave £450,000 to UNICEF and Save the Children last Financial Year to rehabilitate children who have escaped from their Lords Resistance Army. We have discussed with the Ugandan Government reports of under-age soldiers being recruited by the Government defence units in the North. The Government of Uganda has assured us that they are co-operating with UNICEF to identify and demobilise the recruits. Our High Commission in Kampala is monitoring the situation.

Indonesia

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made since the EU's statement at the 59th Session of the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva in March to encourage the Indonesian Government to comply with its obligations under Security Council Resolution 1410 and allow questioning of those people indicted by the UN's Serious Crimes Unit for the atrocities in 1999; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: To date we support the work of the Serious Crimes Unit (SCU) and are disappointed that Indonesia has failed to co-operate. We will remain in close contact with the UN, East Timor and other interested countries on what is the best way to meet East Timor's need for justice.

Iraq

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials from (i) his Department and (ii) other Departments have had contact with Mr. Nadhmi Auchi since the conflict in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: As far as I am aware, Ministers and officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have not had contact with Mr. Nadhmi Auchi since the conflict in Iraq. I am also not aware of any contact between Government Ministers or officials other than Mr. Auchi writing to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 15 May 2003 to introduce the Anglo Arab Organisation. The Secretary of State acknowledged his letter on 29 May 2003.

Iraq

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Mr. Nadhmi Auchi has advised the Government on aspects of post-conflict Iraq on an (a) informal and (b) formal basis; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: As far as I am aware, Mr. Auchi has not advised the Government on aspects of post-conflict Iraq.

Iraq

Harold Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the (a) numbers and (b) origins of non-Iraqi fighters opposed to coalition forces in Iraq.

Bill Rammell: We believe foreign fighters from a range of countries are present in Iraq. Most, but not all, have probably travelled from other countries in the Gulf, the Middle East and Africa. A smaller number may have travelled from Europe. We have no precise information on the number of foreign fighters currently in Iraq. Since any estimate of the number of foreign fighters would be based on intelligence, under Exemptions 1 and 2 of Part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, it would not be appropriate to provide further details.

Iraq

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the full minutes and proceedings for meetings of the International Advisory and Monitoring Board for the Development Fund for Iraq will be published.

Bill Rammell: The International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB) held its first meeting on 5 December. According to the Terms of Reference for the Board all minutes of meetings of the IAMB will be made publicly available within 30 days of being finalised by the IAMB. The terms of reference and a press release on the meeting are available on the IMF's website at www.imf.org

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether United Kingdom representatives in Iraq had prior knowledge of the raid on the headquarters of the Iraqi Federation of Workers' Trade Unions on Saturday, 6 December.

Denis MacShane: The UK Government have no information about an incident at the temporary headquarters of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions on 6 December 2003. In any case, the UK is not routinely consulted on US tactical operations where UK forces are not involved.

Iraq

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to provide advice on the security situation in Iraq to UK civilians offered employment there.

Bill Rammell: The Government are going to considerable lengths to mitigate and manage the security risks for the British civilians whom they are employing in Iraq. But, for obvious reasons, we do not describe publicly the measures we are taking.

Iraq

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 9 December 2003, Official Report, column 422W, on Iraq, what information he has collated about the reasons why families of the Iraqi Governing Council have left Iraq since the coalition invasion.

Bill Rammell: The reasons why families of Iraqi Governing Council members come and go from Iraq are personal, and a matter for the families concerned. We have not sought to collate information on their movements.

Iraq

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to visit Iraq.

Bill Rammell: Foreign engagements for my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and other Ministers are kept under constant review. It is not practice to announce such visits until they are firm. Because of the unpredictable nature of world events, final decisions on overseas visits are often not possible until very shortly before the day of travel and occasionally not until they are under way.

Kashmir

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his (a) Indian and (b) Pakistani counterpart concerning the alleged police killing of two civilians near the Jehum Valley Hospital in Srinagar, Kashmir; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: I was concerned to hear of the death of two civilians during a gun battle between the security forces and militants in Srinagar on 14 December 2003. Ordinary people have had to pay a heavy price in the continued violence in Kashmir. While I have not raised this specific issue with the Indian and Pakistani Governments, we regularly urge both sides to work together to resolve their differences, including over Kashmir.

Kashmir

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had since 4 November with representatives of the Governments of (a) Pakistan and (b) India on progress in dealing with the Kashmir situation.

Mike O'Brien: During my visit to Pakistan from 9 to 12 December 2003, I met both President Musharraf and Foreign Minister Kasuri. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister met Prime Minister Vajpayee on 6 December 2003 during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Abuja. During our discussions with both Governments, we warmly welcomed the recent confidence-building measures, including the ceasefire on the Line of Control in Kashmir. We also encouraged both Governments to make sustained efforts to address each other's concerns and to pave the way for a process aimed at settling all their outstanding differences, including the issue of Kashmir. We very much hope that the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation Summit in Islamabad on 4 to 6 January 2004 will enable all the countries of South Asia to take forward their ideas for further regional co-operation.

Kashmir

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what confidence-building programmes are (a) funded, (b) supported, (c) proposed and (d) initiated by his Department aimed at resolving the Kashmir situation; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The British Government fully support the Governments of India and Pakistan in their efforts to improve their relations. We have warmly welcomed the recent confidence-building measures taken by both Governments, including the ceasefire along the Line of Control. Through our Global Conflict Prevention Pool, we fund a variety of activities encouraging contact between India and Pakistan and promoting public debate on reducing conflict in the region. We will continue to encourage both Governments to sustain their efforts to address each other's concerns and to pave the way for a process aimed at settling all their outstanding differences, including the issue of Kashmir.

Middle East

Harold Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what influence the United Kingdom is exerting on the US Administration to urge it to make representations to the Israeli Government on the subject of the security wall.

Bill Rammell: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Strathkelvin and Bearsden (Mr. Lyons) on 16 December 2003, Official Report, columns 797–98W.

Official Receptions

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on the serving of beer at official receptions.

Bill Rammell: At official functions organised by the Government Hospitality Section of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office beer is served to guests should it be requested.

Pakistan (Immigration)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on (a) the level of service for immigration cases provided by HM high commission, Islamabad and (b) his future plans for that service.

Chris Mullin: As a result of the security situation in Pakistan our high commission has operated for a substantial period with severely reduced staff. This reduced our visa section in Islamabad's capacity to provide a full service. In recent months service levels have improved significantly.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is committed to restoring a full visa service in Pakistan as soon as is practical and the security situation allows. It was announced by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Trade and Industry on 10 December 2003 during his recent visit to Pakistan that the service has been further expanded to include business visitors, and certain categories of permit free employment; including those who wish to set up a business in the UK, sole representatives, investors and retired persons of independent means. This is further to the expansion of services which was implemented on 17 November 2003 to include applications from visitors who have travelled to the UK, Canada. Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America within the last 10 years, fiance(e)s applying to settle in the UK, EEA family members and others applying for family reunion. We are committed to reducing the waiting and processing times of all applications and gradually increasing service levels with a view to implementing a full service by April 2004 at a reasonable level of demand. A copy of the Minister's statement is available on the British high commission's website: www.britainonline.org.pk/british-government-statements-and-press-releases.

Pakistan (Immigration)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many appeals from Pakistan against the refusal of entry clearance for settlement by (a) spouses, (b) fiancés, (c) dependent children and (d) dependent elderly relatives are waiting to be processed by UK visas.

Chris Mullin: Appeals against the refusal of entry clearance for settlement are processed in the UK by the Appeals Processing Centre of the Home Office. Our high commission in Islamabad currently has 575 settlement appeals awaiting despatch to the Appeals Processing Centre of the Home Office. To break down the information further as requested by the hon. Member could be provided only at disproportionate cost by deploying high commission staff to review each of the appeals individually.

Russia

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the fairness of the recent elections in Russia.

Bill Rammell: International observers assessed the conduct of voting as positive in an overwhelming majority of polling stations and election day proceeded in a generally calm and peaceful manner.
	However, we take very seriously the OSCE's preliminary conclusions that, while the Duma elections were well organised, the pre-election process failed to meet many international standards.
	We look forward to seeing the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights report and hope that the Russian Federation will follow-up any recommendations before this year's presidential elections.

Strategy White Paper

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his written statement of 2 December 2003, Official Report, columns 57–58WS on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Strategy White Paper, for what reason protection of the environment is not included in the list of international strategic priorities; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: Sustainable development is listed as one of the Government's eight international strategic priorities. Specific aims listed under this priority include reinvigorating action on climate change, and supporting the Johannesburg Summit commitments with a focus on biodiversity, water, sanitation and human settlements.

US-occupied Sites

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the sites on UK territory outside the UK occupied by the US, giving in each case the (a) location, (b) acreage and (c) purpose of occupation.

Bill Rammell: Sites occupied by the United States in UK Overseas Territories are as follows:
	On Ascension Island, the US Air Force uses a total of 3.600 acres of land, comprising 1,196 acres for Wideawake airfield and a further 2,404 acres mainly for buildings and communications equipment. On Diego Garcia, which is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory, the United States maintains a naval and air support facility consisting of an anchorage, airfield, support and supply elements and ancillary services, personnel accommodation and transmitting and receiving services, as well as a hydro-acoustic monitoring facility. It is not feasible to calculate the precise acreage occupied for these various purposes. There is no US-occupied land on other UK Territories apart from 0.47 acres occupied by the US Consulate-General in Bermuda.

Zimbabwe

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the administrative consequences for nationals of (a) the UK and (b) Zimbabwe consequent on that country's Government's announced withdrawal from the Commonwealth.

Chris Mullin: The immediate impact on UK nationals of Zimbabwe's withdrawal from the Commonwealth is negligible. Our High Commission in Harare, which becomes an Embassy, will continue to provide consular and other services normally afforded to British citizens.
	No policy or legislative changes in response to Zimbabwe's withdrawal will be made after detailed consideration of the impact such changes might have on ordinary Zimbabweans. We also intend to remain in step with our key Commonwealth partners and co-ordinate closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.
	Under UK legislation, Zimbabwean citizens have the status of "Commonwealth citizens" because Zimbabwe is designated as a Commonwealth State in Schedule 3 of the 1981 British Nationality Act. This entitles them to certain rights and privileges as Commonwealth citizens, such as the right to vote in national, local and European elections held in the UK.
	Zimbabweans currently benefit from the provisions of the immigration rules relating to Commonwealth citizens. They are eligible for entry to the UK under the UK Ancestry entry clearance and the Working Holidaymaker provisions of the Immigration Rules. Zimbabweans who have one British parent and are Commonwealth citizens, have right of abode in the UK.
	Also affected is the right of Zimbabwean nationals to consular protection in third countries where Zimbabwe has no diplomatic representation.
	Zimbabwe's withdrawal affects the eligibility of its nationals to serve in our armed forces and civil service.
	There are implications for the UK's extradition arrangements with Zimbabwe, now that it has ceased to be a member of the Commonwealth.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agenda 21

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the implementation of Agenda 21 by each local authority; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The Government monitored progress on Local Agenda 21 (LA21) until the end of 2000. By then over 93 per cent. of local authorities in England and Wales had LA21 strategies in place. As these were voluntary strategies developed to reflect local circumstances, we did not carry out any formal assessment. Stakeholders have, however, carried out a number of studies into LA21 in the UK.
	The Local Government Act 2000 placed a duty on local authorities to prepare community strategies for promoting the economic, social and environmental well being of their communities and contributing to sustainable development in the UK. The Government's statutory guidance says that authorities should build on the experience of partnership working and community engagement gained through LA21. The Government want to see sustainable development become a mainstream issue for local authorities, their partners, and local communities. We believe that the most effective way to achieve this is to subsume LA21 strategies within statutory community strategies.
	Questions about community strategies should be addressed to my right hon. colleague the Minister of State for Local Government, Regional Governance and Fire.

Albatrosses and Petrels

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the Government to ratify the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The Government are working hard to ratify the Agreement and will do so as soon as possible. With South Africa's ratification in November, the Agreement has the five range states needed to allow it to enter into force. This will happen on 1 February 2004.

Albatrosses and Petrels

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which countries have so far ratified the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels.

Elliot Morley: Australia, New Zealand, Ecuador, Spain and South Africa have now ratified the Agreement.
	The UK intends to do so as soon as possible.

Carcinogens

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total amount of recognised carcinogens released to the air was in (a) England and (b) each government region in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: The National Atmospheric Emission Inventory (available on line http://www.naei.org.uk/) compiles annual air pollutant emissions for the United Kingdom. The most recent year for which emissions have been calculated is 2001. Emissions of four known or probable human carcinogens are calculated: benzene, 1,3-butadiene, benzo[a]pyrene and dioxins. Table 1 shows the national annual emissions since 1997 taken from the National Atmospheric Emission Inventory.
	Emissions are generally calculated using statistics that are available on a national scale (e.g. fuel use). Inventory experts are gathering the regional information in order to undertake the complex process of calculating regional totals. So far, emissions for England have been calculated for 1997 to 2001 (Table 2), but emissions for each Government region are not yet available.
	
		Table 1 UK emissions 1997–2001
		
			  Units 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 Benzene kt 35.8 31.7 28.7 15.7 15.4 
			 1,3-Butadiene kt 7.3 6.4 5.9 5.1 4.5 
			 BaP tgTE 11.2 9.7 8.6 6.7 7.2 
			 Dioxins Q 471 411 395 346 341 
		
	
	
		Table 2 England emissions for 1997–2001
		
			  Units 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 Benzene Kt 27.4 24.3 22.0 12.0 11.8 
			 1,3-Butadiene kt 6.0 5.3 4.8 4.2 3.7 
			 BaP t 9.4 8.2 7.3 5.6 6.1 
			 Dioxins gTEQ 376 328 315 276 272 
		
	
	Notes:
	(a) BaP = benzo[a]pyrene (a carcinogen in its own right and a marker for carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient air);
	(b) The term dioxin refers to a range of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofuran compounds. The emissions of dioxins are presented in terms of the sum of the weighted emissions expressed as gTEQs. TEQs weight the toxicity of the less toxic congeners as fractions of the toxicity of 2,3,7,8-TCDD, the most toxic congener.

Bovine TB

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of the reactive cull component of the Government's randomised badger culling trials on the incidence of TB in dairy cattle.

Ben Bradshaw: The Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB carried out an interim analysis of the Randomised Badger Culling Trial data collected up to the end of August 2003. The analysis indicated that there is an increased risk of TB breakdowns occurring in trial areas where reactive culling has taken place, compared to the related control (survey-only) areas. The increase is estimated at 27 per cent.
	This conclusion is statistically valid and has been reached after taking into account factors other than culling (e.g. history of breakdowns in the area, number of herds, herd size etc.) which may have an impact on the number of breakdowns in a particular area. This outcome is consistent across nine of the 10 triplets; there has not been any reactive culling in the 10th reactive trial area.
	On the basis of these findings, ministers have decided to suspend culling in reactive trial areas, because the evidence suggests that such culling leads to more cases of TB in cattle.

Climate Change

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the outcome of the recent climate change meeting in Milan.

Elliot Morley: The Ninth Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP9) took place between 1–12 December in Milan, Italy. The Secretary of State and I represented the UK during the ministerial segment on 10–12 December. Agreement was reached on a range of important and forward looking items on the COP agenda, including the following: rules for inclusion of forestry projects (sinks) in the Clean Development Mechanism; the guidelines for operationalising two of the three funds for developing countries agreed at COP7 in Marrakech (the Least Developed Countries Fund and the Special Climate Change Fund); the level of the Convention budget for the biennium 2004–05 including provision for activities to implement the Kyoto Protocol once it comes into effect; two new agenda items, building on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Third Assessment Report, examining the scientific, technical and socio-economic aspects of mitigation and adaptation; and the scope of further methodological work required in the next few years to advance the work of the Convention. This means that all the key decisions have now been taken to enable implementation of the Kyoto Protocol.
	During the three ministerial round table discussions, many countries underlined the importance of the Kyoto Protocol and looked forward to its entry into force. The view was also widely expressed that further action to tackle climate change is urgently required. Some speakers focussed on the need for further action on the impacts of, and vulnerability and adaptation to, climate change, and on the transfer of low carbon technology to developing countries, while others argued strongly for deeper cuts in emissions from developed countries and the important role of existing and new technologies to achieve them.

Climate Change

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the outcome of the COP9 conference of parties to the United Nations framework convention on climate change held in Milan this month; if she will place in the Library copies of all papers (a) submitted by the United Kingdom and (b) submitted by other parties which include information relevant to the United Kingdom; and if she will publish details of website addresses which give information on the conference.

Elliot Morley: The Ninth Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP9) took place between 1–12 December in Milan, Italy. The Secretary of State and I represented the UK during the ministerial segment on 10–12 December. Agreement was reached on a range of important and forward looking items on the COP agenda, including the following: rules for inclusion of forestry projects (sinks) in the Clean Development Mechanism; the guidelines for operationalising two of the three funds for developing countries agreed at COP7 in Marrakech (the Least Developed Countries Fund and the Special Climate Change Fund); the level of the Convention budget for the biennium 2004–05 including provision for activities to implement the Kyoto Protocol once it comes into effect; two new agenda items, building on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Third Assessment Report, examining the scientific, technical and socio-economic aspects of mitigation and adaptation; and the scope of further methodological work required in the next few years to advance the work of the Convention. This means that all the key decisions have now been taken to enable implementation of the Kyoto Protocol.
	During the three ministerial round table discussions, many countries underlined the importance of the Kyoto Protocol and looked forward to its entry into force. The view was also widely expressed that further action to tackle climate change is urgently required. Some speakers focussed on the need for further action on the impacts of, and vulnerability and adaptation to, climate change, and on the transfer of low carbon technology to developing countries, while others argued strongly for deeper cuts in emissions from developed countries and the important role of existing and new technologies to achieve them.
	In the international climate change negotiations, the UK negotiates as part of the European Union. I have therefore placed copies of all EU statements, which incorporate the UK's views and reflect the EU consensus, in the Libraries of both Houses. The UNFCCC website (http://unfccc.int/) gives complete information on the Conference and copies of all papers.

Crop Areas

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the cost to farmers arising from the over-estimation of the wheat area for this year's harvest.

Ben Bradshaw: Defra figures are only one of a number of sources of information available to the market and individual buyers and sellers have to use their own commercial judgment. Although there was an initial increase of approximately £5 per tonne immediately following publication of corrected figures, this had reduced by about half within a few days with the price back on trend. This reflects the UK's position as a price taker rather than a price maker in an international commodity market. UK production is about only 13 per cent. of EU production, and EU production is just over 20 per cent. of world production. On average, however, wheat prices this year are now some £50 per tonne higher than at the same period last year. They have risen steadily throughout the marketing season in response to serious reductions in supply elsewhere in Europe as a result of heat and drought in the summer. This has also coincided with a tighter global market which has seen world wheat prices at their highest levels in recent years. There was no discernable effect on prices when the provisional agricultural census results were published in the middle of September.

Disabled Civil Servants

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many senior civil servants in her Department are disabled, expressed in (a) numbers and (b) as a percentage of whole-time equivalents.

Alun Michael: Statistical information about senior civil servants with disabilities is available on the civil service website at: http://www.civil-service.gov.uk/statistics/documents/pdf/disability-oct03.pdf
	The data show that 1 per cent. of senior civil servants in the Department have a disability. As there are fewer than five members of the senior civil service in my Department with a disability, the actual number is not published in order to protect the privacy of the individual in line with exemption 12 of the "Code Of Practice on access to Government Information".

Energy Production

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much energy was produced per person in (a) the UK and (b) other EU countries in 2002.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	Data on EU and worldwide energy production are collated annually by the International Energy Agency. The latest available data for all EU countries relates to 2001, and is shown in the following table.
	
		tonnes
		
			 Country Energy production per person, in tonnes of oil equivalent 
		
		
			 Austria 1.20 
			 Belgium 1.27 
			 Denmark 5.07 
			 Finland 2.92 
			 France 2.21 
			 Germany 1.62 
			 Greece 0.91 
			 Ireland 0.45 
			 Italy 0.45 
			 Luxembourg 0.14 
			 Netherlands 3.77 
			 Portugal 0.34 
			 Spain 0.82 
			 Sweden 3.86 
			 UK 4.46 
			   
			 Average for all EU countries 1.57

Flood Prevention

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities wishing to take part in trials of demountable flood barriers;
	(2)  what the specification for the Environment Agency's trials of the Pallet Barrier system are in (a) Shrewsbury, (b) Worcester and (c) Ironbridge Gorge;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the impact of temporary demountable flood barriers upon flood prevention.

Margaret Beckett: Demountable defences have been used in numerous places and include for example gated openings and the demountable wall at Bewdley. Where tested these have all generally performed well as flood defence structures.
	In addition we have funded the Environment Agency to trial movable temporary defences including the pallet barrier system. These are at Shrewsbury, Worcester and Ironbridge Gorge. The trials are designed to test the security of the defence that might be achieved by such systems. The results of these trials will be made publicly available once they have been completed.
	We will then make an assessment of the potential impact of temporary flood barriers on flood alleviation and will issue guidance to operating authorities accordingly. However it should be noted that these temporary systems are only likely to be suitable for particular locations and where there is adequate notice of rising river levels such as on the River Severn.

Nuclear Sites

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which United Kingdom nuclear sites are being considered for complementary access by safeguards inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Nigel Griffiths: I have been asked to reply.
	The protocol additional to the UK/Euratom/IAEA safeguards agreement will allow the IAEA to request complementary access to nuclear sites and other locations in the UK under the terms set out in the protocol. Although the protocol is not yet in force, we are willing to allow complementary access visits on a voluntary basis. The IAEA has not requested any such access.

Quality Council Status

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advantages to parish councils and their communities will follow from an award of quality council status to that council.

Alun Michael: Achieving quality parish status demonstrates that a council has met certain minimum standards expected from an effective, representative and active parish council. The Council will then be in a position to do more for it's communities on behalf of the principal local authorities thus making services more responsive to local needs. The main beneficiary of Quality status will be the local community as the Council takes on an enhanced role:
	As an integral part of all consultation arrangements set up by principal local authorities and other service providers on how services are delivered in its area;
	In the management, delivery and discussion about the future of services which parish councils may carry out and deliver, on behalf of the principal local authority; and
	In the provision of access points to information on services of principal local authorities and other service providers.
	This enhanced role will be achieved through the negotiation of charters with principal local authorities. We shall be monitoring the development of these charters and the impact of the Quality Town and Parish Scheme to ensure it achieves real benefits, but at the level of anecdote there is evidence of real engagements and enthusiasm among parish Councils up and down the country. This is very encouraging.

Racing Greyhounds

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it her policy to use the proposed Animal Welfare Bill to improve the statutory protection for the welfare of racing greyhounds.

Ben Bradshaw: Yes.

Regional Producers (Wiltshire) Ltd.

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 16 December 2003, ref. 143598, if she will list the public objectives of Regional Producers (Wiltshire) Ltd.

Alun Michael: The organisation describes its purpose on its website as:
	"Wiltshire Regional Producers Limited provide high quality produce at affordable prices with emphasis on traditional customer service. All our produce is sourced from local regional producers, be they farmers, cottage industry workers or small businesses working to the standards of ISO9002. We utilise database systems to ensure that our produce comes from fully traceable sources guaranteeing safety and peace of mind for families and businesses alike. Our existing customers testify to high standards and superior taste."
	I have asked Great Western Enterprise and Business Link for Berkshire and Wiltshire to write to the hon. Member with details of the technical objectives put forward by Regional Producers (Wiltshire) Ltd. in their applications for grant support.

Small Businesses

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department uses a database of individual small businesses for consultation purposes.

Alun Michael: The Department has lists that it uses to identify and consult with interested bodies and organisations as appropriate and these lists include small businesses which have expressed an interest in the particular subject. The Department also makes use of the database established by the Small Business Service (SBS) in undertaking such consultations.
	The Department recognises the importance of communicating effectively and is developing a centrally controlled database. This, in addition to professional tools and guidance, will continue to enhance our communications with all of our key stakeholders.

DEFENCE

Gulf War Syndrome

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of whether the epidemiological evidence available supports the existence of Gulf War Syndrome.

Ivor Caplin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 December 2003, Official Report, column 135WH, to the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Mr. Tyler) during a debate about Gulf veterans.

Iraq

Helen Liddell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the composition of United Kingdom land forces in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 20 November 2003, Official Report, column 1253W, to the hon. Member for Mid-Sussex (Mr. Soames). In addition, the 1st Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders will deploy to Iraq in January 2004, along with additional RMP elements.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what access is being given to Iraqi (a) civilians and (b) former military personnel to the type of biological monitoring for depleted uranium contamination that is afforded to United Kingdom personnel who served in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: This is an issue for the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) rather than for my Department. However, the planned United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) assessment of post-conflict environmental and human health issues in Iraq will include those relating to depleted uranium (DU). We continue to liaise with UNEP and to share information as part of our contribution to efforts to ensure that the Iraqi people and others are protected against ionizing radiation and hazards from whatever source. Although we have not received any request for information or support in relation to biological monitoring, full details of our biological monitoring policy are available to all at www.mod.uk/issues/depleted uranium/du biomonitoring.htm; we would be happy to provide advice to the CPA or UNEP if required.

Iraq

Phil Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which British companies are known to have supplied (a) weapons and (b) weapons technology to Iraq in the 10 years prior to the Gulf war in 1991.

Nigel Griffiths: I have been asked to reply.
	The issue of the export of defence equipment and dual-use goods from the United Kingdom to Iraq in the period 1984–1990 was the subject of the Inquiry by Sir Richard Scott (now Lord Scott of Foscote), copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House. The question relates to a period prior to the Government's decision to publish an annual report on strategic export controls.

Iraq

Helen Liddell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the roles being undertaken by reservists in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: The range of roles provided by reservists to support Operation TELIC broadly reflects those undertaken by the Regular Forces plus a number of specialist areas unique to the Reserves. The range includes: RN amphibious warfare advisers, logisticians, intelligence analysts, linguists, RN mine warfare specialists, media operations, combat engineers, amphibious bridging specialists, signallers, port operating specialists, NEC warfare specialists, movements personnel, medical personnel, meteorologists, aircrew, ground crew, railway specialists, POL operators, HGV drivers, cooks, ambulance crews, administrative staff and the Army and Royal Marine combat arms.

Legal Costs

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what legal costs have been incurred in defending the retention of Fisher and Wright in HM Armed Services following their release from prison.

Adam Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 16 December 2003, Official Report, column 842W, indicating the totality of legal bills paid to date in defending Guardsmen Fisher and Wright. Of this sum approximately £11,000 was paid following their release from prison.

Military Personnel (Psychiatric Treatment)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military personnel received treatment at the Priory, Roehampton in the last year; and what the cost was.

Ivor Caplin: One member of the Services received treatment at the Priory, Roehampton. The cost of the admission and treatment was £73,778.

Territorial Army

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance his Department provides to Territorial Army soldiers returning from overseas duty to secure employment.

Ivor Caplin: Reservists who are called out into permanent service benefit from employment protection under the Reserve Forces (Safeguard of Employment) Act 1985. Under Section 1 of that Act an employer is required to take back into his employment former employees who have completed called-out service. Should an employer fail to reinstate a reservist in accordance with the provisions of that Act, the reservist may apply to a Reinstatement Committee to hear his case. The Reinstatement Committee can order the employer to reinstate the reservist, or to pay compensation, or both. Failure to comply with an order of a Reinstatement Committee is a criminal offence, and an employer may be fined on summary conviction. All reservists are advised of this process on call out.

Typhoon

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what stability problems have been encountered on test flights of the Typhoon when flying with combat loads.

Adam Ingram: No stability problems have been encountered to date on test flights of the Typhoon when flying with combat loads.

UK Sites (USA Occupation)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the sites in the UK occupied by the US, giving in each case the (a) acreage and (b) purpose of occupation.

Ivor Caplin: The following table lists the sites made available to the United States Visiting Forces in the UK, together with their purpose of use and size in hectares.
	
		
			 Site/Purpose of use Hectares 
		
		
			 Main Operating Bases  
			 RAF Lakenheath 727.00 
			 RAF Mildenhall 469.62 
			   
			 Standby Deployment Base  
			 RAF Fairford 470.64 
			   
			 Storage/Support Facilities  
			 RAF Alconbury 81.13 
			 RAF Church Fenton Presence 
			 RAF Daws Hill 21.12 
			 Defence Estates Eastcote 7.76 
			 Glasgow Docks 0.10 
			 High Wycombe offices Presence 
			 RAF Hythe 6.80 
			 Kennington Barracks 0.11 
			 Marchwood Military Port 1.93 
			 RAF Molesworth 270.94 
			 RAF Spadeadam Presence 
			 RAF Upwood 2.45 
			 RAF Welford 300.16 
			 RAF West Ruislip 13.96 
			   
			 Communications Facilities  
			 RAF Barford St. John Comms. Site 196.18 
			 RAF Barkway 0.90 
			 Botley Hill Communications Site Presence 
			 RAF Bovingdon 0.89 
			 DCSA Chelveston 0.33 
			 RAF Christmas Common 1.03 
			 RAF Cold Blow Lane 0.14 
			 RAF Croughton 278.95 
			 RAF Daventry 0.70 
			 RAF Digby Presence 
			 Dunkirk Communications Site Presence 
			 RAF Feltwell 129.48 
			 RAF Menwith Hill 220.57 
			 DCSA Oakhangar Presence 
			 DCSA St. Eval 6.09 
			 RAF St. Mawgan 5.16 
			 Swingate Communications Site 0.22 
			 RAF Uxbridge Presence 
		
	
	Those sites listed as "Presence" are where the US Visiting Forces have a small presence on site in certain buildings but do not have a measurable hectarage allocated to them.
	In addition to the sites in the above table, the US Visiting Forces also have family quarters housing allocated to them, in a variety of locations in the UK.

Wind Turbines

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to include wind turbines in the site development plans for Portsdown West and Porton Down; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The site development for Portsdown West and Porton Down will provide the opportunity to improve the energy efficiency of its built environment and therefore the planning will consider the use of renewable energy sources, including wind turbines.
	All development plans will be subject to statutory consultations and the approval of relevant stakeholders, including the local planning authority.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Art Acquisition

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department has spent on the acquisition of works of art in each year since 1997, broken down by amounts spent on (a) paintings and (b) sculpture; what the single most expensive piece of art purchased by his Department since 1997 has been; how much it cost; and what the total revenue raised by his Department through sales of its works of art has been since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: Since 1997 the Home Office has purchased seven paintings at a total cost of £525. These paintings were acquired for an office in Glasgow in August 2003 from a local visual arts company which specialises in developing projects for disabled adults and children, people with mental health problems, minority ethnic groups and homeless people. An art strategy is also being developed for the new Home Office in 2 Marsham Street. Part of the cost of this, which has not been finalised, will be met by the developer. No works of art have been sold since 1997.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter to him dated 7 November from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Shamus-un-Nissa Kayani.

David Blunkett: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 12 December 2003.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter to him dated 10 November from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. George Marneris.

David Blunkett: I replied to the letter from my right hon. Friend on 12 December.

Crime Reduction Initiatives

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how much money has been invested, and how many retailers have benefited, (a) in Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East (b) in the north-east and (c) in total from the Capital Modernisation Fund to assist small retailers in deprived areas;
	(2)  what plans there are to develop the Capital Modernisation Fund to assist small retailers in deprived areas; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Over the three years of the Small Retailers in Deprived Areas Initiative (2001–04) £120,000 has been provided to Middlesbrough Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership to improve the security and immediate environment of approximately 19 individual shops and essential businesses. £76,000 has been allocated to the Redcar and Cleveland Partnership helping 23 businesses. These two partnerships cover the Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency.
	A total of £1,241,018 has been provided to the North East region benefiting at least 1,319 shops.
	This project has enabled £14.5 million to be allocated to projects in England and Wales, providing assistance to over 12,500 shops. Many more will have benefited indirectly from this funding. A small amount of the fund (£0.5 million) has been used for evaluation and running costs.
	As part of the small retailers' scheme we are providing a national security training package for small businesses in crime prevention and reduction. The Association of Convenience Stores have been selected to run the scheme on behalf of the Home Office from December 2003 to March 2004. The training will target nearly 600 key people in local businesses nation-wide through 28 seminars. Seminars will be held in Middlesbrough on 20 January 2003 and in Redcar and Cleveland on 21 January 2003.
	The SRDA initiative is a three year initiative which concludes at the end of March 2004. Financial provision for similar interventions to continue, if Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships wish, is made in the Building Safer Communities fund.
	We will ensure that the successes of this initiative are disseminated widely and point to effective interventions which have been shown to have a beneficial impact on crime.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many applications for review of alleged wrongful conviction upon indictment have been received during each of the last eight years by the Criminal Cases Review Commission; and how many cases in each year have been (a) ruled ineligible, (b) investigated with a decision of not to refer where the decision-maker was (i) a case review manager, (ii) a single commissioner and (iii) a panel of three Commissioners and (c) investigated with a decision to refer;
	(2)  how many applications for review of alleged wrongful conviction upon indictment have been received to date by the Criminal Cases Review Commission; how many (a) were ruled ineligible, (b) were completed with a decision not to refer and (c) were completed with a decision to refer; and how many applications in each case were from (i) unassisted applicants and (ii) legally assisted applicants.

Paul Goggins: The Commission's data systems have been developed over time and so full data are not available for all years. The Commission first received applications in 1997. In no case is a Case Review Manager the decision-maker. The most recent information on Committee decisions is that 97 per cent. of decisions not to refer were made by a single Commissioner and 3 per cent. were taken by a committee of three Commission members. Data on all applications is as follows and the most recent information on conviction types is that 92 per cent. of applications are for convictions on indictment.
	
		
			  Applications Ineligible Decisionnot to refer Decisionsto refer 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,103 248 51 11 
			 1998–99 1,037 222 239 31 
			 1999–2000 777 298 681 36 
			 2000–01 800 257 808 45 
			 2001–02 834 272 892 38 
			 2002–03 932 299 652 35 
		
	
	The Commission's data do not cover legal assistance for all years. The most recent information (30 September 2003) is that 41 per cent. of applications under review at Stage 2 screen (where eligible cases are examined to see whether they can be reviewed with modest caseworker effort) have legal representation and 59 per cent. of those at Stage 2 (where eligible cases requiring considerable caseworker effort are reviewed).

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints have been received by the Complaints Manager at the Criminal Cases Review Commission in each of the last eight years; and of those complaints how many were (a) resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant and (b) upheld.

Paul Goggins: The complaints received by the Commission and the number upheld are as follows:
	
		
			  Complaints received Upheld 
		
		
			 1997–98 11 7 
			 1998–99 15 2 
			 1999–2000 34 10 
			 2000–01 63 14 
			 2001–02 69 9 
			 2002–03 76 11 
			 2003 to 30 November 2003 39 4 
		
	
	Complainant satisfaction is difficult to measure but only 13 complaints in total have been taken to Stage 2 of the Commission's complaints procedure following adjudication. The Commission is to introduce a feedback process for complainants.

Identity Cards

Richard Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts concerning the mutual recognition of identity cards.

Beverley Hughes: There have been no recent discussions with European Union (EU) counterparts on mutual recognition of identity cards.
	There are currently no EU standards for the content and format of identity cards, and it is for member states to decide whether and how to issue them. However there is mutual recognition in the sense that valid identity cards issued by EU member states are recognised as travel documents throughout the EU, and also as proof that the holder is an EU national entitled to exercise Treaty rights in any member state.

Identity Cards

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the costs of the identity card scheme in the first three years of operation; and what proportion of set-up costs will be met from (a) charging and (b) existing departmental budgets.

Beverley Hughes: In his response to the hon. Member during his statement on identity cards on 11 November 2003, Official Report, column 178WS, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary set out our current best estimates of the set-up costs of the scheme over a three year period. These are £36 million, £60 million and £90 million, respectively. The proportion of these costs which will be funded from charges as opposed to from existing departmental budgets has not yet been decided.

Identity Fraud

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many incidents of identity theft have been reported to the police in each of the last 12 months;
	(2)  what statistics are gathered by his Department on identity fraud.

Beverley Hughes: It is not a criminal offence for a person simply to use another identity. However, false identities are often used to facilitate other offences such as deception and money laundering.
	The police do not generally record incidents of identity theft because prosecutions are recorded for the offences facilitated by false identities.

Information and Technology Projects

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many information and technology projects have been initiated by his Department since 1994;
	(2)  if he will list the information technology projects that have been (a) terminated and (b) abandoned by his Department since 1994.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Home Office and its agencies (excluding non-departmental public bodies) have initiated 36 Information Technology (IT) projects since 1994. This covers IT projects (a) where the cost or value of the project exceeds £5 million or (b) are essential for delivery of core objectives or services. This does not include projects that were originally initiated by Home Office but are not now my responsibility as a result of Machinery of Government changes.
	The Home Office has terminated one project since 1994. This was the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's Casework Programme. No projects have been abandoned.

Northern Ireland Troubles

Harry Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy to co-opt victims of the Troubles onto the Victims' Advisory Panel;
	(2)  how many people in Great Britain have made claims to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority as a result of the Northern Ireland Troubles;
	(3)  what representations he has received concerning the inclusion of the needs of victims of the Northern Ireland Troubles from Great Britain within the remit of the Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses;
	(4)  if he will establish an interdepartmental group in the Home Office Victims Unit to study the needs of victims of the Northern Ireland Troubles from Great Britain;
	(5)  if he will set up an independent support network for victims of the Troubles.

Paul Goggins: The answers to the questions are as follows.
	Any victim of a crime occurring in England and Wales can apply to be a member of the Victims Advisory Panel. The next recruitment campaign for lay members will take place in 2005. Civilian victims of the Northern Ireland Troubles who live in Great Britain can apply. None did so when we first advertised for members in 2002.
	There are no centrally held statistics about claims for compensation from victims of terrorist crime before the introduction of the tariff-based scheme in April 1996. In the period between then and 11 September 2001, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority received 588 claims arising from incidents of terrorist bombings in Great Britain. There is no reliable way of giving a definitive breakdown between those related to the Troubles or to other terrorist incidents.
	No specific representations have been received about including the needs of victims of the Troubles within the remit of the Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses. The Commissioner, once appointed, will have a responsibility to promote and champion the needs of victims and witnesses of all crimes, who are resident in England and Wales.
	The National Strategy for Victims and Witnesses published in July 2003 set out the Government's plans for improving services to all victims. Although not specifically identified as a group separate from others who are bereaved or seriously injured as a result of crime, victims of terrorist incidents in England and Wales are included within the strategy. Work to implement the strategy has now begun, although there are no immediate plans to set up a group to study the needs of the victims of the Northern Ireland Troubles from Great Britain.
	There are already a number of independent victims' organisations operating in England and Wales at both national and local level, most notably the voluntary organisation, Victim Support, which this year received a grant of £30 million from the Government. Victim Support provides practical advice and emotional support to victims of all types of crime, including terrorist crime. If people who have been affected by the Troubles wish to set up their own independent support network, they are free to do so.

Passports (Secure Delivery)

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the projected cost per passport of the secure delivery service announced on 28 November is; and what the total value of the contract with Special Mail Services Ltd. is.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 11 December 2003
	The secure delivery service provided by Special Mail Services Ltd. will cost £2.75 per passport including ancillary service provided. The total value of the contract will depend on the number of passports issued by United Kingdom Passport Service (UKPS) but over a three year period, the contract is estimated to be worth up to £55 million.

Prison Spending

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the prisons budget was for each year since 1995; and what the prisons spending forecast is for each year up to 2009.

Paul Goggins: The table shows the actual costs of the Prison Service between 1995 and 2003. The figures for 1995–96 to 2000–01 are published in the annual Appropriation Accounts, and the figures for 2001–02 to 2003 are from the Cash Flow Statement in the annual accounts.
	
		Table 1: Prisons Budget 1995 to 2003 -- £ millions
		
			 Financial year Current Capital Total 
		
		
			 1995–96 1,336.7 330.2 1,666.9 
			 1996–97 1,388.5 220.1 1,608.6 
			 1997–98 1,462.9 277.9 1,740.8 
			 1998–99 1,611.7 200.4 1,812.1 
			 1999–2000 1,696.8 149.6 1,846.4 
			 2000–01 1,659.5 135.2 1,794.7 
			 2001–02 1,758.4 99.5 1,857.9 
			 2002–03 1,910.5 235.3 2,145.8 
		
	
	The budget plans for the years 2003–04 to 2005–06 are set out in the table. These figures are published in tables 2 and 3 of Section 6 of the Home Office Annual Departmental Report 2003. Both in-year and future year budgets are subject to review and amendment.
	
		Table 2: Budget plans for the Prison Service 2003 to 2006 -- £ millions
		
			 Financial year Resourcebudget plans Capitalbudget plans 
		
		
			 2003–04 2,331.462 294.796 
			 2004–05 2,403.303 268.730 
			 2005–06 2,520.342 166.730 
		
	
	There are no published budget plans for the years 2006–07 to 2008–09.

Probation Service

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the percentage change will be in (a) the National Probation Service and (b) the National Probation Directorate financial settlement for 2004–05.

Paul Goggins: A final decision about the budget for the National Probation Service, including the National Probation Directorate for 2004–05 has not yet been made.

Probation Service

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the (a) Warwickshire, (b) Dorset, (c) Suffolk, (d) Norfolk and (e) Gloucestershire probation areas will receive less money in real terms during 2004–05 after performance-linked penalties and central recharging are taken into account.

Paul Goggins: A final decision about the budget for individual areas within the National Probation Service has not yet been made. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) deflator set by the Treasury is 2.5 per cent. for 2004–05. It is not expected that any of the above mentioned probation areas will have an increase in their main resource allocation of less than the GDP deflator, after performance-linked penalties and central recharging outside the control of the local areas are taken into account.

Probation Service

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on failed IT projects in the Probation Service in each year since 1994.

Paul Goggins: The National Probation Service Information Systems Strategy (NPSISS) ran from 1994 to 2001 and was the subject of a National Audit Office (NAO) report. A full breakdown of the cost of NPSISS can be found in the NAO report published on 26 April 2001, HC401 Session 2000–01. While the NAO identified significant weaknesses with the management of NPSISS, particularly in the development of the case record and management system, (CRAMS) they did not conclude that the project had 'failed'. As a result of NPSISS, 38 out of which 42 Areas were linked to a network which enabled them to communicate electronically between themselves as well as with the Directorate and other parts of the Home Office.
	The National Probation Service was formed in April 2001. Prior to that date individual Probation Services undertook local IT projects. It is not possible to confirm whether the anticipated benefit of each scheme were achieved.

Terrorism

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings of the pilot group of experts on terrorism from EU states and Europol have taken place since 25 June.

David Blunkett: The informal pilot group held its second workshop on terrorist profiling at the headquarters of Europol on 20 November 2003, with UK representation. This meeting was essentially a stock take as the research needed to inform this long-term and complex project is on-going.

Volunteers in Action Programme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide support for the Volunteers in Action programme.

Fiona Mactaggart: I would like to congratulate the Volunteers in Action on the amount of good works they have done over the years. As with many voluntary groups their work is invaluable for supporting active communities and I wish them well for the future.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Women Pensioners

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many women pensioners were means-tested in (a) 1997 and (b) 2002.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available in the format requested. The following figures include both single women and women who are partners of recipients.
	In May 1997 there were 1,350,100 women aged 60 or over receiving income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, family credit and disability working allowance. In addition, it is probable that there were some other women who received housing benefit or council tax benefit but we are unable to estimate how many.
	In May 2002 there were 1,341,400 women aged 60 or over receiving minimum income guarantee and income-based jobseeker's allowance. Including those who were receiving housing benefit and council tax benefit the number was 2,140,000.
	Notes:
	1. Figures subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	2. 1,350,100 rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. 2,140,000 rounded to the nearest ten thousand.
	4. Council tax benefit totals exclude any second adult rebate cases. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases.
	5. Overlaps between benefits have been removed.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. samples IS and JSA, 1 per cent. samples HB/CTB, and 100 per cent. sample DWA.

Chronic Pain

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many working days were lost in each of the past five years as a result of chronic back pain; and how many days were lost to mental illnesses.

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Sheerman, dated 5 January 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the number of working days lost because of chronic back pain and mental illnesses. (140479)
	The available information from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) shows that, for the UK as a whole in the 12 month periods ending in August 2001, August 2002 and August 2003, respectively 117 million, 114 million and 108 million working days were lost due to sickness or injury. Comparable information is not available for earlier years.
	Information about the types of illnesses or injuries which cause sickness absence is not collected in the LFS, so no figures for numbers of working days lost because of chronic back pain and mental illnesses are available.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to sampling error.

Occupational Deafness

Khalid Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to amend the criteria for entitlement to state benefit on the grounds of occupational deafness.

Des Browne: We have no current plans to amend the criteria for entitlement to Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit for occupational deafness.
	However, the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council completed a review of occupational deafness last year, all its recommendations have been accepted and amending legislation came into force on 22 September 2003.

Pension Credit

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many individuals are estimated to be eligible for pension credit in Wales in (a) 200304, (b) 200405, (c) 200506 and (d) 200607;
	(2)  what his Department's target is for the number of individuals who will be receiving pension credit in Wales in (a) 200304, (b) 200405, (c) 200506 and (d) 200607.

Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is not available. It is estimated that 250,000 households or 350,000 individuals in Wales are eligible for pension credit in 200304. As at the end of November 2003 there were 120,000 households (145,710 individuals) in Wales receiving pension credit. There is no departmental target for the number of individuals who will be receiving pension credit in Wales. The Department has a PSA target for at least 3 million pensioner households to be receiving pension credit in Great Britain (GB) by 2006, which is estimated to correspond to around 3.7 million individuals. Reliable estimates of households and individuals entitled to or in receipt of pension credit in future years are not available below GB level. We want all those eligible for pension credit to take up their entitlement.
	Notes:
	1. Estimates are based on the 200102 Family Resources Survey and are rounded to the nearest 50,000.
	2. Recipients are based on 100 per cent. Generalised Matching Service (CMS) data at 14 November 2003 and have been rated up to give month end estimates.
	3. Figures are for Government Office Region (GOR) of Wales. Government Office Regions are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Broadband

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information she has collated on the take-up of broadband in each of the last five years in (a) Dudley North, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Information on the take-up of broadband by Parliamentary Constituency is not available. The take-up of broadband in the West Midlands based on historical data from operators, the number of households and businesses and availability by technology to the post sector level have been estimated by Analysys Consulting Ltd. as:
	
		West Midlands
		
			   Number 
		
		
			 2002 Q4 122,914 
			 2003 Q1 130,289 
			 2003 Q3 186,249 
		
	
	On the same basis, the estimated combined total for all English regions for the same periods is:
	
		English regions
		
			   Number 
		
		
			 2002 Q4 1,226,767 
			 2003 Q1 1,590,945 
			 2003 Q3 2,355,737 
		
	
	Data for earlier years have not been collated.
	Oftel has collated data on the estimated number of UK broadband subscribers since November 2000. Updated figures are published regularly on the Oftel website http://www.oftel.gov.uk From 29 December 2003, data will be published on the Ofcom website.

Broadband

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of the number of broadband connected personal computers in the UK which have, unknown to the owner of the computer, been hijacked by computer programmes written by internet criminals and which also have the potential to serve as a platform for the spread of fraud, spam, paedophile images and organised crime over the internet; and what steps she is taking to counter this problem.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 17 December 2003
	We do not collect data on this and are not aware of reliable estimates. We do undertake a regular survey of information security breaches in the business community based on a sample of one thousand companies. We use the results of this survey to inform our message to business about the importance of protecting information assets and the advice we give, particularly to smaller companies, about techniques and technologies to prevent problems. The Home Office, as a supplement to the British Crime Survey, surveys households' experience of breaches of this kind, though obviously victim surveys only identify those who are aware their machine has been used in this way. The activities described are criminal acts and should be reported to the police when users become aware of them.

Business Innovation

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets her Department has set for improving business innovation; and if she will make a statement on the UK's (a) G7 ranking, (b) European ranking and (c) world ranking in business innovation.

Patricia Hewitt: My Department's Public Service Agreement includes a target to increase the rate of business innovation. On 20 November, my Department published an economic report, Competing in the Global EconomyThe Innovation Challenge, that reviewed existing evidence on the UK's innovation performance. The report shows that UK innovation performance across a range of measures was aroundor belowaverage relative to other advanced economies although some indicators have moved in the right direction in recent years. For example, after a period of decline of Research and Development spending from 1.5 per cent. of GDP in 1981, to 1.16 per cent. in 1997, we have seen an upturn in more recent years as summarised in the following table.
	
		
			  Per cent. 
		
		
			 1998 1.17 
			 1999 1.23 
			 2000 1.19 
			 2001 1.23 
			 2002 1.24 
		
	
	A report on the Review of Innovation that we have undertaken this year was published on Wednesday 17 December.

Business Investment

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact that falling business investment has on economic growth.

Patricia Hewitt: Business investment per worker has increased over the last decade in the UK, although it has been subject to a cyclical decline since 2001, in common with our major G7 competitors. Investment drives long run growth, and the Government are committed to ensuring that the UK provides a business environment where investment can flourish. That is why the Government have made major reforms to the macro-economic framework, which have helped to deliver low and stable inflation and to avoid large, destabilising fluctuations in output. Economic stability helps businesses plans for the long-term, giving them the confidence to invest. The Government have also reformed the corporate tax regime to give powerful incentives to invest, improved institutional investment arrangements through the Higgs and Myners reviews, and removed the regulatory barriers to investment in the planning system.

Business Support Schemes

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what has happened to those business support schemes in existence in November 2002 which have not been closed to new business, have not been devolved elsewhere and do not remain open to new business.

Nigel Griffiths: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry's answer to the hon. Member's earlier question on 10 November 2003, Official Report, columns 2021W, listed the 39 schemes that were no longer open to new business, and cited two schemes that had been transferred on the Regional Development Agencies. This leaves the 52 schemes that are currently open to new business.
	In November 2002 over 100 business support schemes were considered to be operational. The figure of 93 reflects in part a consolidation of the previous count. We had, for example, identified and counted separately each of the Link research programmes; these are now aggregated into the reduced total and counted as a single scheme.

Colombia

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will publish the list of licences granted for trade with Colombia which involve the export of military equipment.

Nigel Griffiths: Details of export licences granted for Colombia are published in the Government's Annual Report on Strategic Export Controls. Copies of the Annual Report are available from the Libraries of the House.

Commission for Equality and Human Rights

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which agency (a) an employee and (b) an employer should approach for (i) legal advice and (ii) advocacy on discrimination and harassment on the grounds of (A) sexual orientation and (B) religion and belief in advance of the establishment of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights.

Patricia Hewitt: The Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations and the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations were introduced on 1 and 2 December respectively offering protection from discrimination in employment and vocational training. Legislation on these grounds will be enforced in the same way as other employment equality laws: through the Employment Tribunals and the Courts.
	The DTI website has information on the legislation aimed at employers and employees (www.dti.gov.uk/ er/equality). ACAS, the independent employment relations service, has produced impartial guidance on the sexual orientation and religion or belief regulations and the workplace. It includes possible scenarios and frequently asked questions. The ACAS guidance is available on their website (www.acas.org.uk) and as a free printed booklet. These are both useful sources of information on rights and responsibilities under the new legislation which will help employers to avoid discrimination and help employees recognize where they may have been discriminated against.
	Both employers and employees can seek practical advice from ACAS via their national helpline (08457 47 47 47). Employers may also receive advice from their own HR specialists, legal representatives, trade association or business representative organisation.
	As with other employment legislation, individuals who wish to make a complaint to a tribunal are able to enlist the support of their trade union, law centres, Pro Bono groups or voluntary organisations with a particular interest in their case, as well seeking independent legal advice from a solicitor. In some cases, they may be eligible for legal advice and assistance under the Community Legal Service (CLS) legal help scheme. The CLS website, 'Just Ask!' (www.justask.org.uk) provides co-ordinated access to several hundred legal information and help websites. Users can use the search facility on 'Just Ask!' to locate local or national legal service providers who can help with their problems. Individuals can also call into their local Citizens Advice Bureau, where free legal advice and representation may be available.

Correspondence

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Edinburgh West of 30 September on outsourcing of jobs abroad; and what the reasons were for the delay in replying.

Stephen Timms: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to his letter. This was due to an administrative oversight. A reply has been sent to his office today.

Departmental Grants

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much funding has been provided by her Department to finance the Business Volunteer Mentoring scheme that is managed by the National Federation of Enterprise Agencies since inception of the scheme.

Nigel Griffiths: Since its inception, in January 2000, my Department has provided approximately 3.5 million to fund the Business Volunteer Mentoring scheme.

Disabled Civil Servants

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many senior civil servants in her Department are disabled, expressed in (a) numbers and (b) as a percentage of whole-time equivalents.

Jacqui Smith: Statistical information about senior civil servants with disabilities is available on the Civil Service Statistics web-site at http://www.civil-service.gov.uk/statistics/documents/pdf/disability-oct03.pdf
	This information is also made available in the Libraries of the House. The latest statistics show staffing data as at 1 April 2003. The data shows that in my Department there are 10 senior civil servants with a disability. This is 3.4 per cent. of the total number of senior civil servants in my Department.

Electricity Act

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effects of the European Water Framework Directive and European habitat regulations on section 36 consents under the Electricity Act 1989.

Stephen Timms: In deciding whether consent should be granted for individual projects under section 36 of the Electricity Act, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry will take into account a range of interests and consult with a number of relevant statutory bodies including the nature conservation agencies and the Environment Agency. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry would expect any advice received from the statutory bodies as a result of the consultation to have regard to the legislation applicable to the functions for which they are responsible and for their advice to reflect their expertise in the implementation of such legislation.

Entrepreneurs

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of people going into business or becoming self-employed; what targets have been set; if she will make a statement on progress to date; and what estimate she has made of the number of people who were considering going into business or becoming self-employed in each year since 1997.

Nigel Griffiths: There are a number of Government support initiatives aimed at helping those thinking about starting a business. These include:
	A comprehensive range of start-ups service delivered through Business Link and other outlets in England
	The publication of the No-nonsense guide to Government rules and regulations for setting up your business
	The launch of businesslink.gov.
	In 2001, 12 per cent. of adults in England were considering going into business or becoming self-employed. The DTI has a target to increase this to 14 per cent. by 2005.

Equal Opportunities

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether different standards on promoting equal opportunities will apply to (a) companies working on government-funded contracts and (b) those engaging in purely private business.

Fiona Mactaggart: I have been asked to reply.
	Private sector companies, including those carrying out public sector contracts, are subject to the provisions of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. These prohibit discrimination, respectively, on the grounds of sex, on racial grounds and on the grounds of disability, in the fields of employment, training, education, the provision of goods and services and the provision of housing. From 2 December 2003, it has also been unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation and religion or belief in the fields of employment and vocational training.
	The Race Relations Act 1976, as amended by the (Amendment) Act 2000 (RR(A)A) placed a general duty on listed bodies to have due regard to the need:
	(a) to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination; and
	(b) to promote equality of opportunity and good relations between persons of different racial groups.
	The duty applies to public bodies only listed in the Schedule introduced by the RR(A)A. The duty does not apply to private sector bodies.
	However, the Government does not want to see a dilution of the general duty in relation to functions which have been contracted out, and bodies to which the duty applies will need to be mindful of their obligations when discharging their functions through others. In placing contracts, for example, such bodies might want to consider whether the contract should be used to specify actions that the contractor should take to ensure that the body in question does not fail to meet its obligations in this area. This does not, however, mean the duty is transferred to the contractor. The responsibility for complying with the duty in relation to public functions relevant to it remains at all times with the listed body.

Equal Treatment at Work Directive

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research her Department has carried out into the preparedness of United Kingdom companies for the introduction of the Equal Treatment at Work Directive.

Patricia Hewitt: Most of the provisions of the amended Equal Treatment Directive are already reflected in existing Great Britain legislation. There has already been some consultation on the principles of some of the legislative provisions of the amended Equal Treatment Directive, and we said then we planned further consultation and provided a target of late 2005 for implementation.
	The Employment Directive makes discrimination in employment and vocational training against an individual on the grounds of his or her religion or belief or sexual orientation unlawful. We have held three consultations since the Employment Directive was first drawn up. We have ensured where possible that the new legislation has been introduced in a way that is consistent with existing long-standing equality legislation. Since the summer DTI has held a series of awareness raising seminars for employers. ACAS has produced guidance to help employers on which they consulted widely and is available online at www.acas.org.uk

Foreign Debt

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what guarantees the Export Credits Guarantee Department has issued to each heavily indebted poor country in each year since 1997; what the (a) value and (b) project type was in each instance; and what the total outstanding debt owed by each country is (i) in total and (ii) broken down by (A) amounts at risk, (B) unrecovered claims and (C) moratorium interest accrued on the unrecovered claims.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 18 December 2003
	Since 1997 ECGD has only supported business in three Heavily Indebted Poor Countries, namely Vietnam, Ghana and Tanzania. Vietnam is a sustainable HIPC requiring no debt restructuring since the early 1990s. Ghana, until relatively recently, was also regarded as a sustainable HIPC but is now benefiting from HIPC debt treatment. Tanzania reached its Completion Point in December 2001 and all historic debt was written off by the UK. The business supported was as follows:
	1997 VietnamAircraft, value 21 million.
	1998 VietnamPaper Mill Equipment, value 6 million.
	1999 VietnamCoal Fired Power Plant, value 24 million.
	1999 VietnamInvestment in Sugar Refinery, value 16 million.
	1997 GhanaCapital Equipment and Related Services, value 7 million.
	1997 GhanaWaste Water Project, value 17 million.
	1997 GhanaRoad Proj ect, value 14 million.
	1998 GhanaCapital Equipment and Related Services, value 6 million.
	1999 GhanaKotoka airport project, value 19 million.
	2000 TanzaniaInvestment in Water and Sewerage Contract, value 2 million.
	The future amounts at risk on Ghana, Vietnam and Tanzania are 61 million, 23 million and 1 million respectively.
	
		Outstanding balances on heavily indebted poor countries' rescheduled sovereign debt as at December 2003 -- All values in  million
		
			 Market Unrecovered claims Capitalised interest Arrears of interest Total rescheduled debt 
		
		
			 Angola(23) 51.483 4.437 71.744 127.664 
			 Cameroon 27.081 32.561 0.000 59.642 
			 Central African Republic 0.161 0.163 0.037 0.361 
			 Congo 58.076 82.268 19.497 159.841 
			 Cote D'Ivoire 6.435 9.567 0.137 16.139 
			 D.R. Congo 16.304 52.728 0.000 69.032 
			 Ethiopia 11.174 0.460 0.007 11.641 
			 Ghana 45.682 0.821 0.000 46.503 
			 Guinea 0.932 2.824 0.000 3.756 
			 Guyana 11.638 21.218 0.000 32.856 
			 Kenya(23) 16.522 2.337 0.000 18.859 
			 Liberia 6.229 0.000 14.176 20.405 
			 Madagascar 11.822 11.607 0.000 23.429 
			 Malawi 0.353 0.007 0.000 0.360 
			 Nicaragua 0.368 0.588 0.000 0.956 
			 Niger 3.745 4.135 0.000 7.880 
			 Senegal 0.666 0.693 0.000 1.359 
			 Sierra Leone 0.957 2.435 0.000 3.392 
			 Somalia 11.461 3.694 16.370 31.525 
			 Sudan 91.643 33.094 405.718 530.455 
			 Togo 9.113 5.206 4.869 19.188 
			 Vietnam(23) 5.683 4.422 0.000 10.105 
			 Zambia 68.949 94.040 0.000 162.989 
			 Totals: 456.477 369.305 532.555 1,358.337 
		
	
	(23) indicates that this is a Sustainable HIPC. All other markets are Unsustainable HIPCs.

Identity Cards

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the implications of the introduction of compulsory identity cards for her Department.

Patricia Hewitt: My Department has been fully involved in discussions on the benefits and costs of a national identity card scheme. The introduction of such a scheme is a long-term undertaking and my Department will be involved in on-going analysis of its implications.
	As the Home Office document Identity Cards the Next Steps (November 2003 Cm 6020) made clear, the Government will be
	working closely with businessparticularly small businesstrade unions and others to design the system to maximise the benefits and minimise the compliance costs to law-abiding businesses and to develop an effective enforcement system that will deal with illegal workers and the minority of businesses that deliberately flout the law.

Industrial Development Unit

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many grants and of what value have been made by the Industrial Development Unit in her Department; and how many new jobs have been created as a result of these in the last five years broken down by region.

Jacqui Smith: The Industrial Development Unit lead on the appraisal of Regional Selective Assistance applications for assistance of 2 million or more. Decisions are made by Ministers. Details of cases over the five years ending 30 September 2003, are as follows:
	
		
			 Region Offers accepted (number) Value( million) Expected jobs (new and safeguarded) 
		
		
			 East Midlands 2 9.95 2,211 
			 North East 9 102.84 7,215 
			 North West 6 73.94 5,237 
			 South East 2 7.50 631 
			 South West 3 11.71 1,210 
			 West Midlands 6 48.00 5,322 
			 York/Humberside 4 13.01 1,068 
			 Total 32 266.95 22,894

Legislation

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of (a) primary and (b) secondary legislation sponsored by her Department in 200203 was introduced to implement EU requirements.

Patricia Hewitt: My Department sponsored four Bills during the 200203 session, of which 25 per cent. implemented EU requirements.
	Of the 141 statutory instruments put through Parliament by my Department in 200203 session, 26 per cent. were introduced to implement EU requirements.

Manufacturing Industry

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures have been taken to promote the manufacturing industry within schools.

Jacqui Smith: We published the Government's Manufacturing Strategy in May 2002the first such strategy for 30 yearswhich we developed in partnership with industry, trade unions and other stakeholders, following a summit meeting on the challenges facing manufacturing held in December 2001. We are working closely with industry and other stakeholders to create a high value and high skill manufacturing sector that attracts young people as an exciting and innovative area of work.
	We are supporting a number of key initiatives in order to promote the manufacturing industry within schools. For example, SETNET (The Science, Engineering, Technology and Maths Network) operates through a UK wide network to encourage young people to take an interest in these areas, and to understand the opportunities that a career in industry can offer.
	Many of the new Sector Skills Councils are also helping to promote careers in manufacturing. For example, SEMTAthe Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologiesruns several schemes to promote careers in industry to young people, including an Engineering Careers Information Service.
	Advantage West Midlands and the West Midlands Manufacturing Advisory Service are working in collaboration with the Manufacturing Foundation to support the Inside Manufacturing Enterprise regional company visit programme, which gives both businesses and schools access to some of the best manufacturing and engineering companies in the West Midlands.

Manufacturing Industry

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the change in manufacturing sector investment over the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: Government's Manufacturing Strategy, published in May 2002, identified the UK's long-standing weakness in investment as a key factor for the gap with our main competitors in manufacturing productivity. Manufacturing investment has declined from 20.4 billion in 1998 to 14.6 billion in 2002, due in part to weakness of external demand, spare capacity and increased uncertainty about the prospects for the global economy. It is also the case that UK manufacturing investment is cyclical with respect to the UK economy. The accelerating economic growth currently being experienced by the UK is likely to engender stronger manufacturing investment, albeit with a lag. This is consistent with the CBI's November 2003 forecast (Economic and Business Outlook) that UK manufacturing investment will grow by 0.8 per cent. in 2004 and 4.8 per cent. in 2005.
	The Government are taking action to provide a climate conducive to investment for the long-term in UK manufacturing, by maintaining a stable macro-economic framework, together with measures such as reforming capital gains tax; making permanent enhanced capital allowances for small and medium sized firms; introducing the RD tax credit for small and large firms; establishing Regional Venture Capital Funds; and extending the Small Firm Loan Guarantee.
	The Pre-Budget Report contained a number of announcements that further build on this, including: measures to overcome barriers to raising finance for small business, notably a pathfinder round of Enterprise Capital Funds and proposed enhancements to Venture Capital Trusts and the Enterprise Investment Scheme. It also announced a new, clearer and more accessible RD tax credit definition and extension of the scope of qualifying costs.

Manufacturing Industry

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact that changes in manufacturing investment will have on the competitiveness of UK businesses.

Patricia Hewitt: The Government's Manufacturing Strategy, published in May 2002, has identified the UK's long-standing weakness in investment as a key factor for the gap with our main competitors in manufacturing productivity. Manufacturing investment has declined from 20.4 billion in 1998 to 14.6 billion in 2002, due in part to weakness of external demand, spare capacity and increased uncertainty about the prospects for the global economy. It is also the case that UK manufacturing investment is cyclical with respect to the UK economy. The accelerating economic growth currently being experienced by the UK is likely to engender stronger manufacturing investment, albeit with a lag. This is consistent with the CBI's November 2003 forecast (Economic and Business Outlook) that UK manufacturing investment will grow by 0.8 per cent. in 2004 and 4.8 per cent. in 2005.
	As explained in the UK Productivity and Competitiveness Indicators 2003, investment is one of the five key drivers of productivity and thus competitiveness identified by the Government. Investment in physical plant, machinery and buildings helps make workers more productive and is a way of embodying new technology in the production process. As such, investment is vital to manufacturing's long-term prosperity and the Government are committed to creating an environment where such investment can flourish. That is why the Government have reformed the macro economic framework and are undertaking extensive reform of the product, labour and capital markets. For example, in terms of capital markets, the Government have reformed capital gains tax; made permanent enhanced capital allowances for small and medium sized firms; introduced the RD tax credit for small and large firms; established Regional Venture Capital Funds; and extended the Small Firm Loan Guarantee.
	The Pre-Budget Report contained a number of announcements that further build on this, including: measures to overcome barriers to raising finance for small business, notably a pathfinder round of Enterprise Capital Funds and proposed enhancements to Venture Capital Trusts and the Enterprise Investment Scheme. It also announced a new, clearer and more accessible RD tax credit definition and extension of the scope of qualifying costs.

Ministerial Meetings

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she last met the Chairman of British Midland; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: I have not met the Chairman of BMI British Midlands in an official capacity.

Motor Industry

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much funding has been given by her Department to the Rover Task Force in each year since it was created.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is as follows:
	
		Funding for Rover Task Force recommendations by financial year
		
			  (000) 
		
		
			 200001 (24)10,238,718 
			 200102 (25)6,981,106  
			 200203 (26)11,318,157 
			 200304 (26)20,935,848 
		
	
	(24) Interim Proposals
	(25) Interim Proposals, Modernisation and Diversification
	(26) Modernisation, Diversification and Regeneration
	We provided the substantial amount of 129 million to implement the recommendations of the Rover Task Force. Some 11 million has been spent on actions which needed to be taken immediately, for example to support the automotive supply chain. A further 17 million has supported the Modernisation of the automotive supply chain and nearly 20 million has been used for Diversification, to support and encourage businesses to engage in new activity. In addition 22 million has been agreed to create three High Tech corridors to attract and develop more high tech and high value added businesses. Overall up to March 2003 28 million of these amounts has actually been spent and further 21 million is expected to be spent in 200304.
	We also agreed an overall sum of 2 million to kickstart initiatives in the North Staffordshire area. 10 million was made available to Advantage West Midlands to buy a strategic site in Birmingham for future industrial development. In addition 42 million has been provided for good quality Regional Selective Assistance projects in the region. Some 5 million of the actual 129 million is not yet allocated to specific.

Nuclear Safety Advisory Committee

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the section of the Triennial Report of the nuclear safety advisory committee, issued on 9 December 2003, on the environmental hazards posed by the high level radioactive waste tanks at Sellafield.

Stephen Timms: The Nuclear Safety Advisory Committee's Trienniel Report covers the period 19992001. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published detailed reports into the storage of high level radioactive waste at Sellafield. The most recent report, in HSE's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate's Newsletter of February 2003, states that:
	Overall, BNFL has made satisfactory progress with all the follow-on work from the February 2000 report and there are no short-term matters of significant concern.

Oil-fired Appliances

Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many companies in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland undertake (i) installation and (ii) maintenance of oil-fired domestic central heating systems.

Patricia Hewitt: There are many companies within the UK, ranging from major boiler manufacturing companies such as Baxi Potterton and Worcester-Bosch, to small one man companies who install and maintain domestic central heating boilers and systems. Many are registered with the Oil Firing Technical Association (OFTEC) and I would refer my hon. Friend to OFTECs own websitehttp://www.oftec.org/which gives access to a comprehensive list of these companies.

Post Offices

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Royal Mail is required to conduct environmental impact studies when considering the closure of a large number of post office outlets in urban areas, with particular reference to the effects on the use of private cars to access post offices.

Stephen Timms: There is no such requirement. The urban network programme is designed to manage change in the urban post office branch network by closing branches where there is oversupply and poor viability and investing in branches which continue to serve the area in order to prevent unmanaged decline of the network. In putting forward proposals under this programme, Post Office Ltd undertakes extensive analysis of an area, using a modelling system showing where customers live and where they shop, and how demand for post office services is currently met. It also shows overlaps in provision where two or more branches are chasing the same customer base and where the network may need to change to create viable businesses while ensuring that branches are still accessible to the customers in the area. Checks are made of local authority plans, environmental and transport information, local shopping habits, and other local developments and features are assessed on site visits. Each closure proposal is subject to a six week public consultation in accordance with the Code of Practice agreed with Postwatch.
	At the end of the programme, 95 per cent. of the urban population will still live within a mile of the nearest post office and the majority within half a mile.

Post Offices

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what responsibility for defining exceptional circumstances in relation to closure under the network reinvention programme of post offices in the 10 per cent. most deprived wards lies with (a) her Department, (b) the Royal Mail Group, (c) Post Office Ltd. and (d) Postwatch.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 18 December 2003
	Responsibility for defining exceptional circumstances in relation to closure under the network reinvention programme of post offices in the 10 per cent. most deprived wards and which are more than half a mile from the next post office rests with Post Office Ltd. All closure proposals are, however, subject to public consultation under the Code of Practice agreed between Post Office Ltd. and Postwatch.

Post Offices

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how many proposals for closure have been made under the Urban Reinvention Programme for the Post Office network; how many closures have been made; how many such proposals have been reversed following consultation; what the locations are of post offices which have been reprieved following consultation; and what the reasons were for those branches remaining open;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of sub-postmasters (a) have been offered compensation to close under the Urban Reinvention Programme, (b) have applied to close with compensation and (c) have applied to close with compensation and been refused.

Stephen Timms: holding answers 17 December 2003
	Decisions on post office closure proposals under the urban reinvention programme following public consultation are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Regional Development Agencies

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list, for each regional development agency, its board members showing (a) for councillor members, their party and local authority and (b) for other members, any declared party affiliation and the principal business or voluntary organisation to which they belong.

Jacqui Smith: RDA Boards are chaired by business people and at least 50 per cent. of Board members have business experience. Each Board has a maximum of 15 members. Ministers have given a commitment that four will be elected local Councillors and one will have knowledge of rural issues. The balance will have backgrounds in Trade Unions, the voluntary and community sector and higher/further education interests.
	Board members are there to further the success of the RDA. They should not consider themselves to be the delegates of a particular group or body, but take into account the interests of the region as a whole.
	The following table lists the people currently serving on the boards of England's Regional Development Agencies. For those who were appointed to positions allocated for councillors the table gives the relevant authority and the party they represent on that authority.
	The Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice, which is followed when making appointments to the Regional Development Agency Boards, requires that when announcing the appointments any press release should include details of the appointee's response to the political activity question. If no political activity has been declared this should be made clear. This information is therefore set out in the biographies of the Board members.
	Biographies for all Board members are available in the Libraries of the House.
	
		
			 Name Party Local authority 
		
		
			  Advantage West Midlands 
			 Nick Paul(Chair)   
			 Richard Barnes   
			 Isabella Moore   
			 Norman Price   
			 Tony Sealey  
			 Ahmed Hassam   
			 Julie Haney   
			 David Smith   
			 Michael Oakes   
			 Susan Davis (Lab) Telford and Wrekin Council 
			 Paul Tilsley (Lib Dem) Birmingham City Council 
			 Richard Hyde (Con) Warwickshire County Council 
			 Roger Lawrence (Lab) Wolverhampton City Council 
			 Michael Sterling   
			 Bill Holmes   
			
			  East of England Development Agency 
			 Richard Ellis(Chair)   
			 Marco Cereste   
			 Leo Murray   
			 Chris Paveley   
			 Yasmin Shariff   
			 George Kieffer   
			 Patricia Holtom   
			 John Snyder   
			 Ruth Bagnall (Lab) Cambridge City Council 
			 Sal Brinton (Lib Dem) Cambridgeshire County Council 
			 Stephen Castle (Con) Essex County Council 
			 Bryony Rudkin (Lab) Suffolk County Council 
			 Roger Ali   
			 Karen Livingstone   
			 Tim Wilson   
			
			  East Midlands Development Agency 
			 Derek Mapp(Chair)   
			 Jane Bradford   
			 Bryan Carr   
			 Valerie Dwyer   
			 Ron Whittaker   
			 Samantha Gemmell   
			 Jonathan McLeod   
			 Peter Ramsden   
			 Kashmir Bilgan (Lab)(27) Melton Borough Council 
			 Graham Chapman (Lab) Nottingham City Council 
			 Andrew Scarborough (Lab)(27) Wellingborough Council 
			 Ross Willmott (Lab) Leicester City Council 
			 Neville Jackson   
			 Patricia Morgan-Webb   
			 Rita Patel   
			
			  North West Development Agency 
			 Bryan Gray(Chair)   
			 John Dunning   
			 Dennis G. Mendoros   
			 Anil Ruia   
			 Neville Chamberlain   
			 Brenda Smith   
			 Robert Johnston   
			 Joe Dwek   
			 Richard Leese (Lab) Manchester City Council 
			 Pauleen Lane (Lab) Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Michael Storey (Lib Dem) Liverpool City Council 
			 Marie Rimmer (Lab) St. Helens Council 
			 Sir Martin Harris   
			 Maureen Williams   
			 Dave McCall   
			
			 One North East 
			 Margaret Fay(Chair)   
			 Richard Maudslay   
			 Geoffrey Hodgson   
			 Christopher Edwards   
			 Tim Cantle Jones   
			 Jane Nolan   
			 Chey Garland   
			 John Cuthbert   
			 Philip Hughes (Ind) Teesdale District Council 
			 David Walsh (Lab)(28) Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council 
			 Christine Smith (Lab) Durham County Council 
			 Keith Taylor (Lab) Newcastle City Council 
			 Jackie Fisher   
			 Barbara Dennis   
			 Kevin Rowan  
			  South East England Development Agency 
			 James Brathwaite(Chair)   
			 Janis Kong   
			 Mary McAnally   
			 Peter Read   
			 Robert Douglas   
			 Terry Mills   
			 John Peel   
			 Sarah Hohler (Con) Kent County Council 
			 Keith House (Lib Dem) Eastleigh Borough Council 
			 Rob Anderson (Lab) Slough Unitary Council 
			 Peter Jones (Con) Rother District Council 
			 Clive Booth   
			 Elizabeth Brighouse   
			 Poul Christensen   
			 Phil Wood   
			
			  South West of England Regional Development Agency 
			 Juliet Williams(Chair)   
			 Nicholas Buckland   
			 Brian Kemp   
			 Mike Leece   
			 Jeremy Pope   
			 Colin Skellett   
			 Henry Studholme   
			 Judith Reynolds   
			 Robin Nicholl (Lab)(29) Bath and North East Somerset Council 
			 Catherine Bakewell (Lib Dem) Somerset County Council 
			 Duncan Hames (Lib Dem) West Wiltshire District Council 
			 Christine Reid (Lab) North Wiltshire District Council 
			 Nigel Costley   
			 Jonathan Porritt   
			 Eric Thomas   
			
			 Yorkshire Forward   
			 Terry Hodgkinson(Chair)   
			 Brian Greenwood   
			 Richard Gregory   
			 Lord Haskins   
			 Dr. Christopher King   
			 Julie Kenny   
			 John Napier   
			 John Spencer   
			 Eileen Bosomworth (Con) Scarborough Borough Council 
			 Kathryn Pinnock (Lib Dem) Kirklees Council 
			 Stephen Houghton (Lab) Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Nicholas Dakin (Lab) North Lincolnshire Council 
			 Adeeba Malik   
			 Stella Guy   
			 Robert Boucher   
		
	
	(27) These Board members lost their seats in the local elections in May 2003, they are not required to resign but they will stand down from the board when their first term of appointment ends on 13 December 2004.
	(28) This Board member lost his seat in the local elections in May 2003, he is not required to resign but will stand down from the board when his first term of appointment ends on 13 December 2004.
	(29) This Board member did not stand as a candidate in the local elections in May 2003 he is not required to resign but will stand down from the board when his first term of appointment ends on 13 December 2004.

Regulations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the (a) number and (b) cost of regulations imposed on business by her Department since 1997.

Patricia Hewitt: The number of Statutory Instruments (SIs) that this Department has passed is as follows.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1997 130 
			 1998 135 
			 1999 178 
			 2000 148 
			 2001 126 
			 2002 109 
		
	
	Only a small proportion of SIs have a significant impact on business. For example, of the 109 SIs produced in 2002, 11 have produced cost savings for business and 77 have had negligible or no impact. A regulatory impact assessment is produced for all SIs that have a cost to or benefit for business, and copies are available from the Libraries of the House.
	The Government are committed to regulating only where necessary and with as light a touch as possible. However, regulations are necessary for creating open, dynamic markets and introducing minimum standards. It is important not to confuse the costs of minimum standards with red tape: over 1 million workers have benefited from the national minimum wage and over 3 million people have gained an entitlement to four weeks paid annual leave.

Royal Mail

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what additional support will be provided to Royal Mail if Postcomm's proposals to change its universal service obligations are permitted.

Stephen Timms: Universal service obligations are a matter for the Regulator, Postcomm. Postcomm are currently seeking views, via a consultation process that runs through to mid-February, on their proposals which aim to clarify precisely which services make up the universal service in the UK and how they should be provided by Royal Mail. It is Postcomm's primary responsibility to exercise its functions in a manner which it considers is best calculated to ensure the provision of a universal service, as set out in the Postal Services Act 2000.

Small Businesses

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many small business schemes have been (a) launched and (b) proposed by (i) her Department and (ii) other Government departments since November 2002.

Nigel Griffiths: Since November 2002, four schemes supporting small businesses have been launched.
	These are:
	The grant for Research and Development (replacing the Smart scheme)
	Extension of the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme
	Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
	Grant for Investigating an Innovative Idea
	No activities have been proposed which have not been launched.
	These four schemes are those which fall within the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. Schemes operated, or proposed, by other Government Departments are the responsibility of their respective ministers.

Small Businesses

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the Treasury regarding (a) the decision to backdate payments under section 660A of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 and (b) the impact this will have on small businesses.

Nigel Griffiths: Section 660A-660G of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 is a long standing piece of anti-avoidance legislation which prevents avoidance of tax by, for example, a taxpayer with a higher rate of tax transferring income to someone who is liable at a lower rate.
	The legislation when applied does not impact on small business but on the very small number of owners who set out to exploit the system and avoid tax.
	The DTI has regular contact with the Inland Revenue in relation to the way legislation applies to the owners of SMEs.

Small Businesses

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the cost to small businesses of complying with new legislation introduced in each year since 1997.

Nigel Griffiths: A regulatory impact assessment is produced for all regulations that have a cost to or benefit for business and copies are available from the Libraries of the House.

Venture Capital

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent meetings she has had with leading universities to discuss improving their access to venture capital.

Patricia Hewitt: Ministers and officials in my Department are in regular contact with universities to discuss a range of issues including funding. Although neither myself or my noble Friend the Minister for Science and Innovation has had any recent meetings with universities specifically to discuss venture capital, it has formed part of many of the discussions which my noble Friend has had with universities and venture capitalists in the last year. The OST has been supporting universities' access to venture capital through University Challenge and the Higher Education Innovation Fund.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Thornborough Henges

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the archaeological value of the Thornborough henges near Nosterfield.

Estelle Morris: The outstanding archaeological value of the Thornborough Henge site has been recognised by the statutory protection the site enjoys. Recent research commissioned by English Heritage has reinforced that view.

Sports Coaching

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action her Department is taking to improve access to sports coaching for children after school.

Tessa Jowell: My Department is working closely with Sport England to create 3,000 full and part-time Community Sports Coaches by 2006. Community Sports Coaches will work across a range of schools, clubs and local authorities to ensure that the maximum number of young people benefit. This will support delivery of the PSA target that I share with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills to increase the percentage of school children who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high quality physical education and school sport withinand beyondthe curriculum to 75 per cent. by 2006.

Performing Arts

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to increase public access to national theatre, opera and ballet companies.

Estelle Morris: One of my Department's strategic priorities is to open up our cultural institutions to the wider community. This is reflected in our Public Service Agreement, which includes increasing arts attendance by under-represented groups. We are working with Arts Council England towards increasing diversity among audiences.

Museum Closures

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement about recent museum closures.

Estelle Morris: The Government have no direct role in the provision of local authority or independent museum services. However, through the Renaissance in the Regions programme we are providing significant support for major regional museums. As the programme develops, its benefits will spread throughout the museum sector in each region.

Sand Yachting

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her Department's responsibilities towards sand yachting are.

Richard Caborn: Sport England recognise sand and land yachting as a sport, although it falls into the category deemed as an extreme sport.
	Sport England are in discussion with the British Federation of Sand and Land Yacht Clubs. The British Federation of Sand and Land Yacht Clubs are seeking funding for a national development officer.
	Sport England have made two awards to British Landsailing one of 47,600 for the purchase of a national fleet of 60 land yachts. An Award for All grant was given in February 2002 of 2,230.

British Horse Racing

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with the Office of Fair Trading with regard to their investigation into the control of British horse racing; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: There have been no discussions, and the Office of Fair Trading exercises an independent jurisdiction. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has, however, written to the Chairman to draw attention to the public interest in maintaining a full and diverse national programme of racing.

Lottery Grants (Essex)

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of Lottery grants went to Essex in the last year for which figures are available.

Estelle Morris: Essex received 334 (or 1.6 per cent.) of the 20,314 Lottery grants awarded by the Lottery Distributing Bodies between 1 January 2003 and 23 December 2003.
	These numbers are from information supplied by the Distributing Bodies.

Arts (Deprived Areas)

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her policy regarding development of the arts as a means of regenerating deprived areas.

Estelle Morris: The arts have an important part to play in regenerating areas of urban and rural deprivation. My Department is currently examining evidence of the contribution of the arts to regeneration, and we will publish a policy statement in the spring.

British Film Industry

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the support for the British film industry in the pre-Budget report.

Estelle Morris: The Chancellor's commitment to consider the extension of fiscal support for the film industry through the tax system is very good news for the industry. It reinforces this Government's commitment to the development of a flourishing and sustainable film industry which brings with it huge cultural and economic benefits for the UK. Over the next few months, DCMS will be working closely with the industry and with the Treasury to identify the best means of delivering the support.

Olympic Bid

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the latest state of preparation is for the Olympic bid in 2012; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: The Olympic bid company, London 2012 Ltd., is making excellent progress, working closely with the Government, the Mayor of London and the British Olympic Association. The reply to the International Olympic Committee's Applicant Questionnaire, which is the first stage of the bidding process, will be delivered on 15 January.

Audio Description

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what targets she has set for the roll-out of audio description;
	(2)  if she will make a statement on the issues that prevent a faster roll-out of audio description.

Estelle Morris: The Communications Act 2003 sets audio description targets for broadcasters. 10 per cent. of non-excluded programmes are to be audio described for the blind and partially sighted by the tenth anniversary of the start of the service. The Act extends this requirement to digital cable and satellite broadcasters for the first time.
	At present, the widespread availability of audio description modules needed to receive the service has been delayed owing to technical, manufacturing and distribution difficulties. However, we understand from discussions with manufacturers that receivers compatible with audio description on the digital terrestrial platform have recently come onto the market. We hope this will increase the take-up of the audio description service.

BBC

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will estimate the cost of the BBC Charter (a) review process and (b) public consultation.

Tessa Jowell: No estimate for the total cost for the BBC Charter review process is currently available. The final cost of the review will depend, among other factors, on the scale of the public's engagement with the process and on the issues that emerge from public consultation.
	The cost of the first phase of public consultation, launched on 11 December, is estimated to be approximately 300,000 for the remainder of the financial year, excluding staff costs.

Departmental Expenditure

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on information literature, advertising and campaign material in each financial year since 200001.

Richard Caborn: The Department's spend on information literature in each financial year since 200102 is detailed in the table.
	
		
			  Spend (000) 
		
		
			 200001 538 
			 200102 318 
			 200203 393 
			 200304 (30)494 
		
	
	(30) budgeted outturn
	No advertising or publicity expenditure was incurred by the Department during this period.

Departmental Budget

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total departmental budget was for each year since 1997; and what the projected figures are for the next five years.

Richard Caborn: Information on the departmental budget for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport from 199899 to 200506 is published in Volume 1 of the Departmental Report 2003, (CM 5920). Copies were laid before Parliament on 15 May 2003. Updated figures will be published in the spring.

Departmental Gifts

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent by her Department on gifts to foreign governments (a) in the last year and (b) since 1997.

Richard Caborn: The following table shows departmental expenditure on gifts. A breakdown of gifts to foreign governments is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
		
			 Financial year Expenditure 
		
		
			 200304 to date 295.35 
			 200203 452.26 
			 200102 433.75 
			 200001 904.84 
			 19992000 2,660.96 
			 199899 1,251.41 
			 199798 227.79

Departmental Staff

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of staff employed within her Department are over 55 years of age; and what (a) number and (b) percentage of staff recruited over the last 12 months are over 55 years of age.

Richard Caborn: The percentage of staff currently employed over 55 years of age is 5.8 per cent. The number of staff recruited over the last 12 months over 55 years of age is 4 which represents 4.2 per cent. of staff recruited.

Departmental Travel

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent by her Department on taxis for officials in each year since 1997.

Richard Caborn: In DCMS travel and subsistence administration is contracted out and there is no electronic record maintained regarding mode of travel. To provide this information would involve a manual check of each travel and subsistence claim, which could only be undertaken at disproportionate costs.

Departmental Travel

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent by her Department on train tickets (a) in the last year and (b) since 1997.

Richard Caborn: In DCMS travel and subsistence administration is contracted out and there is no electronic record maintained regarding mode of travel. To provide this information would involve a manual check of each travel and subsistence claim, which could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.

Digital Television

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what information she has collated about the take-up of digital television broadcasting in (a) Dudley North, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England; and if she will make a statement.

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of households are converted to digital broken down by (a) ITV region and (b) constituency.

Estelle Morris: Take-up statistics are not presently collected for these areas. The ITC produces quarterly reports on take-up for the UK. Their most recent report stated that 45.5 per cent. of the UK had digital television as of 30 June 2003. OFCOM will now produce these reports.

Digital Television

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) analogue and (b) digital transmitters there are in the UK.

Estelle Morris: There are currently 1,154 analogue transmitters in the UK, 80 of which have been converted to receive digital signals.

Digital Television

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the timescale is for achieving full analogue switch-off; and if she will make a statement.

Estelle Morris: The criteria set for switchover are that: everyone who can currently get the main public service broadcasting channels in analogue form must be able to receive them on digital systems; switching to digital is an affordable option for the vast majority of people; and as a target indicator of affordability, 95 per cent. of consumers must have access to digital equipment. The objective of the Digital Television Action Plan Project is to ensure these criteria are met so that we can, if we choose, take the decision to proceed to full switchover by ordering the switching off by 2010 of analogue terrestrial transmissions.

Digital Television

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made in the switchover to digital in the last five years.

Estelle Morris: Since digital television services were first launched in 1998, nearly 50 per cent. of households have switched at least one set to receive digital television broadcasts. The Government are working closely with broadcasters, manufacturers, retailers, consumer groups and other stakeholders through the Digital Television Action Plan to determine a firm timetable for digital switchover.

Digital Television

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will estimate (a) the number of households that have access to digital television, (b) the total number of television sets in use and (c) the proportion of television sets in use that have access to digital services.

Estelle Morris: The information is as follows:
	(a) The ITC produce quarterly reports on take-up for the UK. Their most recent report stated that 45.5 per cent. (11,286,961) of UK households had digital television as of 30 June 2003.
	(b) The Household Technology Survey 2003, carried out for the ITC in spring 2003, estimated that there were 55.4 million televisions in use in UK homes.
	(c) Indications are that around 30 per cent. of all televisions are converted to digital television, but no assessment has been made as to how many of those not yet converted are in use as a monitor (e.g. with a games console, VCR, DVD player) and not to receive broadcasts.

Digital Television

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which organisations have paid for the conversion of analogue transmitters; and how much each has spent in the last 10 years.

Estelle Morris: The transmission companies ntl and Crown Castle (who own the transmitter sites and provide transmission services to the broadcasters) have paid for the development of the current network of digital terrestrial transmitters around the UK. The digital multiplex operators (BBC, Digital 3 and 4, SDN and Crown Castle) pay these operators an annual fee for the use of these facilities. The exact amount paid both to develop the network and in broadcasters fees are commercially confidential.

Digital Television

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households have transferred from analogue to digital television in each of the last five years.

Estelle Morris: Figures for digital take-up are as follows:
	
		
			  Digital households Source 
		
		
			 June 2003 11,286,961 ITC Multichannel Quarterly 
			 December 2002 10,232,829 ITC Multichannel Quarterly 
			 December 2001 9,256,326 (31) 
			 December 2000 6,577,364 (31) 
			 December 1999 2,722,000 (31) 
		
	
	(31) Figures up to December 2002 are estimates from information on subscriber figures from platform operators to give an indication of the take up figures of digital pay television for different platforms, and from sales of terrestrial non-subscription reception equipment.

Food Advertising

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what plans she has to change the current regulations on the advertising of food to children;
	(2)  upon what evidence the Government bases its view that the regulation of food advertising to children must be tightened.

Estelle Morris: The Department has no plans at present to change the rules on the advertising of food to children, but is taking part in the consultations being undertaken by the Food Standards Agency on the possible impact of broadcast advertising on childhood obesity. The Secretary of State has also asked OFCOM to review the adequacy of its codes regulating such advertising, in the light of the conclusions of the FSA Report, the Department of Health's Food and Health Action Plan and the Health Select Committee's inquiry into obesity. It is principally the responsibility of OFCOM to ensure that there is an appropriate code for the regulation of broadcast advertising and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State looks forward to the outcome of their work.

Football Broadcasting

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on football broadcasting rights and the role of the EU Commission.

Estelle Morris: The European Commission and the Premier League announced that they had agreed the terms of a settlement of the competition inquiry on 16 December. Although the detailed terms of this are yet to be finalised, the agreement is clearly very good news for English football.
	One of the Government's primary concerns during the inquiry was the health of football at all levels. Substantial public funds are invested in the development of grass roots football in partnership with the Premier League. So although it was right that the Premier League made its own case to the Commission, the Government encouraged both parties to engage in constructive dialogue throughout the inquiry.

Government Car Service

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent by her Department on the Government car service in the past year.

Richard Caborn: I refer the hon. Member to the reply provided by the Chief Executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency (Mr. Nick Matheson) to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) in May 2003. Copies of the letter were placed in the Libraries of the House.

Museums

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received regarding the Government's museums policy.

Estelle Morris: I have received a wide range of representations, both from individuals and from key sectoral organisations, including the National Museums' Directors' Conference, the Museums Association and the Association of Independent Museums. There is strong support for the main planks of our policy: namely, free access to the National Museums and Galleries in London and the regions, the Renaissance programme for regional museums, and support for improved museum education services, particularly to children. The views received will make an important contribution to the Department's developing thinking during the 2004 Spending Review and thereafter.

Museums

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what targets the Government have set to increase social inclusion through museum policy;
	(2)  what financial incentives are in place to encourage museums to increase the number of visitors from different sections of the community;
	(3)  what the Government's policy is on museums and social inclusion.

Estelle Morris: As set out in the publication Libraries, Museums, Galleries and Archives for All (PP 383 January 2001), our policy objective is that social inclusion should be a priority for all museums and galleries. To that end we have set two Public Service Agreement targets for the 200306 period: an 8 per cent. increase in adult C2DE visitors to the national museums and galleries; and 500,000 visits by new users, predominantly from social classes C2DE and ethnic minorities, to regional hub museums participating in the Renaissance in the Regions programme.
	Renaissance in the Regions is the main funding programme specifically targeted at increasing the number of visitors from different parts of the community. Two of the programme's eight priority areasreaching a wider community and improving access to knowledge and informationare particularly relevant. Funding for the programme is 60 million during the 200306 period. The grant in aid the Department provides to the national museums and galleries also supports the social inclusion activities they undertake.
	From 1 April 2001, all National Museums and Galleries that are free have been able to recover input VAT on their expenditure associated with free access and those that charged previously have been compensated for their loss of admission income.

Museums

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many museums have closed since 1997.

Estelle Morris: Since August 1997, 93 museums have been removed, on grounds of closure, from the museum registration scheme run by Resource: the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries. During the same period 407 museums joined the registration scheme, of which 101 were newly founded. There are currently a total of 1,725 museums fully registered throughout the UK.

Museums

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make an assessment of the impact on collections in museums of the Government's free admission policy.

Estelle Morris: Free admission together with investment in new galleries has enabled more people to see and appreciate the great collections of the national museums and visit them more frequently. Visits to the former charging museums rose from 9 million in 199899 to 15.3 million in 200203, an increase of 71 per cent. There is a good mix of new and repeat visitors. In consequence earned income from trading has held up well and was greater in 200203 than in 200102 before the introduction of full free admission. There is therefore no reason to suppose that free access has inhibited care of collections. All those museums that went free received year-on-year compensation for loss of admissions income.

Museums

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make an assessment of the impact of the Government's free admissions policy on museums that are not included in the policy.

Estelle Morris: I will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

Museums

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the total Government funding to museums in real terms in each year since 1992.

Estelle Morris: Direct government funding to museums in England is shown in real terms in the following table from 199203 to 200506. It includes core funding of the National Museums as well as non-core support for regional museums as part of the Regional Renaissance programme.
	
		
			  DCMS and MoD funding in real terms ( million)(32),(33),(34) 
		
		
			 199293 218.7 
			 199394 214.4 
			 199495 220.5 
			 199596 215.4 
			 199697 201.6 
			 199798 188.6 
			 199899 181.1 
			 19992000 197.7 
			 200001 203.7 
			 200102 213.9 
			 200203 230.6 
			 200304 248.3 
			 200405 254.0 
			 200506 263.4 
			 Total increase 43.6 
		
	
	(32) The figures exclude funding for the RAF museums at Hendon and Cosford.
	(33) The figures exclude funds from DfES, the Arts Council of England and the National Lottery. DfES does not provide recurrent or direct funding to museums and galleries. Since 1999 DfES has provided approximately 6.8 million to support education work in museums and galleries through various project-funding programmes.
	(34) The table does not include funding in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which is administered separately.

National Lottery

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has had from charities about (a) the funding they are able to generate and (b) the impact of the National Lottery on donations.

Estelle Morris: We have received no such representations. Charities have been significant beneficiaries of Lottery funding. Since 1995, the Community Fund has given 2.6 billion to more than 56,000 charities and community groups. This is in addition to the many charities which have benefited from grants from the other Lottery distributors.

National Lottery

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much National Lottery funding has been distributed (a) in each constituency, (b) in each region and (c) to each good cause since 1997.

Estelle Morris: I am arranging for copies of the answer to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

National Lottery

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much revenue was generated by the National Lottery in each year since its launch; and what the projected figures are for the next five years.

Estelle Morris: Total revenue generated by the National Lottery in each year since its launch is as follows:
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 199495 1,191 
			 199596 5,217 
			 199697 4,723 
			 199798 5,514 
			 199899 5,228 
			 19992000 5,094 
			 200001 4,983 
			 200102 4,834 
			 200203 4,574.5 
		
	
	For the current year and next five years we have advised distributing bodies to plan on an assumption of annual sales of 4.5 billion. But if London's bid for the 2012 Olympic games proves successful, Camelot plans to launch new Olympic Lottery games during 20056, which could raise the total value of ticket sales to about 4.7 billion per year, as an average for the five year period covered by the question.

National Lottery

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money has been distributed to good causes in each year since the launch of the National Lottery.

Estelle Morris: The information is shown in the following table.
	The figures include income both from the operator and from investments.
	
		 Thousand
		
			 Year Total 
		
		
			 200203 1,591,781 
			 200102 1,842,233 
			 200001 1,772,839 
			 19992000 1,766,394 
			 199899 1,918,906 
			 199798 1,952,219 
			 199697 1,587,759 
			 199596 1,535,966 
			 199495 298,580

National Lottery

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will set out her plans to give Lottery players more choice in determining where the money to good causes goes.

Estelle Morris: The Government made a commitment in the National Lottery Funding Decision Document to increase the public's involvement in decisions on Lottery spending. The Lottery distributors, in partnership with the National Lottery Promotions Unit and this Department, are already looking at ways to do thisfor example, in relation to setting lottery funding themes and making local Lottery awards. The New Opportunities Fund and Community Fund are also developing new ways to consult people about local decisions which the new merged distributor will pioneer.

National Lottery

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her plans to merge the New Opportunities Fund and the Community Fund.

Estelle Morris: The National Lottery Funding Decision Document, published in July, outlined our plans to merge the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) and the Community Fund to create a new Lottery distributor, to be responsible for distributing 50 per cent. of Lottery money to good causes.
	There is significant overlap between NOF and the Community Fund and an opportunity in merging them to create a new, dynamic Lottery distributor, more responsive, more streamlined and better able to exploit opportunities for joining up funding streams. We want the new body to be more than sum of its parts, and we believe it will successfully be able to set the pace for modernising delivery of Lottery funding, making a real difference to the lives of disadvantaged people and communities.
	The new body will continue funding for charities and the voluntary sector, and health, education and the environment, and will also assume the Millennium Commission's ability to fund large scale regenerative projects.
	Establishing the new body will require primary legislation. We are encouraging NOF and the Community Fund to work as closely together as possible in the meantime to begin to exploit the synergies between the two bodies and to ensure that full merger can happen quickly when the legislation is in place.

National Lottery

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to reform the National Lottery; and if she will make a statement on the timetable for the reforms.

Estelle Morris: The National Lottery Funding Decision Document, published July 2003, outlined our proposals for reforming the National Lottery. We intend to publish a summary of the consultation responses early in the New Year. The Department is working closely with the National Lottery Distributing Bodies and implementation of some of the reforms has already begun. Others will require legislation, which we would hope to bring forward over the next two years, subject to the availability of Parliamentary time.

Olympic Games

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  if she will withdraw the departmental minute dated 2 December 2003, reporting contingent liabilities in the event of London winning the bid for the 2012 Olympic Games;
	(2)  if she will withdraw the policy of an unlimited funding commitment by the taxpayer to hosting the Olympic Games in the event that the cost exceeds 2.375 billion.

Tessa Jowell: No. It is normal practice, under Government Accounting rules, for Departments to report contingent liabilities to Parliament. As I made clear in my statement to the House on 15 May 2003, the Government have given their wholehearted support to the Olympic bid, not least because of the benefits which would accrue to the entire country were we to be successful.

Regional Tourist Boards

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding each regional tourist board in England has received from its regional development agency in each year since regional development agencies were established.

Richard Caborn: We have contacted the regional development agencies to request the information required, and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available, placing copies of my letter in the Libraries of both Houses.

School Sport

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on the Government's policy on sport in school;
	(2)  what targets the Government has set for the amount of time children participate in sport at school;
	(3)  what the average amount of time a child spent taking part in sport at school was in 200203 at key stage (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3, broken down by (i) region, (ii) local education authority and (iii) constituency.

Richard Caborn: The Government are investing more than 1 billion in England to transform PE and school sport. This funding will help deliver an ambitious Public Service Agreement target, shared by DCMS and DfES, to increase the percentage of school children who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high-quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum to 75 per cent. by 2006.
	The information requested on participation rates is unavailable and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Data collected during the autumn term 2002 suggested that about a third of schools at Key Stages 1, 3 and 4 and two fifths of schools at Key Stage 2 offered their pupils two hours of high-quality PE and school sport each week within and beyond the curriculum. Data are now being collected for the first timefor publication in April 2004on the number of pupils who choose to take up this entitlement.

School Sport

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many school playing fields were sold between 1992 and 1997.

Richard Caborn: Statistics on applications for school playing field sales were not collected until our playing fields legislation came into force. Public concern about the loss of school playing fields led directly to the introduction in October 1998 of Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. Before Section 77 was introduced, only grant-maintained schools were required to seek consent from the Secretary of State before selling land, including areas of their playing fields. Local authorities and other schools that owned their own playing fields were free to sell without restriction.

School Sport

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many school playing fields have been sold in each year since 1997.

Richard Caborn: Data on the number of school playing fields sold is not collected. However, the Amendment to Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act in October 1998 has introduced powers that require all state schools to seek consent for the sale of playing fields from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment. In addition, Sport England monitor the number of planning applications concerning playing fields in their role as statutory consultee.
	The Government publish combined figures for (a) applications from schools submitted to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for the disposal or change of use of school playing fields (which are already published monthly), and (b) figures from Sport England giving details of planning applications affecting playing fields which have been referred to them as statutory consultee (which are already published quarterly), along with (c) relevant data from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

South West Arts

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the budget is for South West Arts for 200304; and what percentage is spent on administration.

Estelle Morris: The total budget for Arts Council England South West is 18,559,000 in 200304. The administration budget is 1,649,000. The percentage of the total budget spent on administration is therefore 8.9 per cent.

South West Arts

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment has been made of customer satisfaction with South West Arts; and if she will publish the results.

Estelle Morris: No official assessment of customer satisfaction has yet taken place in the South West. However, Arts Council England is commissioning a national customer satisfaction survey in January 2004. It is expected that interviews will take place in April to June and a report should be available in Autumn 2004.

South West Arts

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff are employed by South West Arts.

Estelle Morris: 41 full time equivalent staff are currently employed by Arts Council England, South West.

South West Arts

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful applicants for funding from South West Arts in each of the last five years.

Estelle Morris: I understand from the Arts Council that they could supply the information requested on grant-in-aid applications for Arts Council England, South West funding only at disproportionate cost. They have however provided the following table showing the number of applications for lottery funding in each of the last five years and spreadsheets detailing both successful and unsuccessful applications for 2003 which I will place in the Library of the House.
	
		
			  1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Accepted lottery applications 48 122 165 216 347 
			 Rejected lottery applications 371 187 176 117 329

Tourism

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many visitors the United Kingdom received from abroad in the past five years, broken down by (a) continent and (b) country.

Richard Caborn: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) The table shows the number of visits the United Kingdom received from overseas residents in each of the past five years broken down by continent.
	(b) Data are published in Travel Trends, and are available for 39 countries or groups of countries. Travel Trends may be obtained from the Library of the House and at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/Product.asp?vlnk=1391
	
		Number of visits by country of residence 1998 to 2002 -- (thousands)
		
			  1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Total World 25,745 25,394 25,209 22,835 24,180 
			 Europe 17,382 16,816 16,086 14,855 16,218 
			 North America 4,553 4,599 4,869 4,227 4,271 
			 Asia (including Middle East) 2,264 2,317 2,488 2,199 2,172 
			 Australasia and Pacific 783 983 1,074 945 954 
			 Africa 769 819 836 836 825 
			 South and Central America and Caribbean 370 381 391 417 350 
		
	
	Source:
	International Passenger Survey, National Statistics

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Post Offices

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much of the sum available to support post office branches in deprived areas of England has been allocated; which post offices have benefited; and by what amount.

Yvette Cooper: To date, 3.5 million of the 15 million Deprived Urban Post Office Fund has been allocated to Post Offices in the 10 per cent. most deprived wards in England. 81 Post offices at risk of closure have been supported by the fund so far, with an average grant of 43,000 going towards refurbishment, improving security, and expanding retail facilities.

Tenancy Deposit Scheme

Mike Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to include a statutory tenancy deposit scheme in the Bill on tenancy reform.

Keith Hill: Making provisions in a Bill on tenancy reform for the safeguarding of tenancy deposits is an option to which the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are giving very serious consideration.

Decent Homes Standard

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the impact will be on the resources available to Amber Valley Housing Ltd. to spend on housing stock, if the Inland Revenue's ruling of 24 October is upheld.

Diana Organ: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the Inland Revenue's ruling of 24 October upon the welfare of tenants occupying housing stock owned by Forest of Dean Housing;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the Inland Revenue's ruling of 24 October on Forest of Dean Housing's ability to achieve the 2010 Decent Homes Standard;
	(3)  what support the Government will give Forest of Dean Housing in its attempt to achieve 2010 Decent Homes Standard, following the Inland Revenue's ruling of 24 October.

Marsha Singh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what effect the Inland Revenue's ruling of 24 October will have on Bradford's ability to achieve the 2010 Decent Homes Standard;
	(2)  how he estimates the Inland Revenue's ruling of 24 October, if upheld, will affect the welfare of tenants occupying premises of the Bradford and Northern Housing Association;
	(3)  how he estimates the Inland Revenue's ruling of 24 October will affect the state of housing in Bradford;
	(4)  how the Government will support Bradford in its attempt to achieve the 2010 Decent Homes Standard after the Inland Revenue's ruling of 24 October.

Keith Hill: I refer my hon. Friends to the answer given on 15 December Official Report, columns 745W and 746W.

Decent Homes Standard

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how he estimates the Inland Revenue's ruling of 24 October, if upheld, will affect tenants occupying premises of (a) Herefordshire Housing Ltd, (b) Haverbury Housing Partnership and (c) Hertfordshire Homes Ltd.;
	(2)  how the Government will support Maidstone and Bromsgrove in its bid to achieve the 2010 Decent Homes Standard if the Inland Revenue's ruling of 24 October is upheld and Maidstone's proposed transfer of houses to the Maidstone Housing Trust does not take place.

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what effect he estimates the Inland Revenue's ruling of 24 October will have on Crewe's ability to achieve the 2010 Decent Homes Standard;
	(2)  how he estimates the Inland Revenue's ruling of 24 October, if upheld, will affect Wulvern Housing Limited;
	(3)  how he estimates the Inland Revenue's ruling of 24 October will affect housing in Crewe.

Keith Hill: I refer my hon. Friends to the answer given on 15 December 2003, Official Report, columns 74546W.

Council Housing

Jon Trickett: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what Wakefield Metropolitan District Council's capital receipts from the sale of council housing stock were in each year since 1997; and how much of these receipts was spent on council housing stock in each year.

Keith Hill: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him on 16 December 2003, Official Report, column 745W.

Departmental Policies(Regent's Park and Kensington, North)

Karen Buck: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the impact of his policies on the constituency of Regent's Park and Kensington, North since 1997.

Nick Raynsford: The information requested is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost, as such statistics are normally collected on the basis of administrative units (such as local authorities) rather than Parliamentary constituencies. The matter is further complicated as the constituency in question covers parts of two Local Authorities.
	However, many of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's policies will have impacted significantly on the Regent's Park and Kensington, North constituency, including increased funding for local government, housing, neighbourhood renewal, and specific programmes to reduce rough sleeping and tackle social exclusion.

Disabled Facilities Grant

Howard Stoate: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to amend regulations to allow the regular outgoings of a family with a disabled child to be taken into consideration by local authorities when they are determining the level of the family's contribution towards a disabled facilities grant to adapt the family home.

Keith Hill: The legislative provisions governing the Disabled Facilities Grant means test are set out in the Housing Renewal Grants Regulations 1996. These are reviewed annually to reflect changes in the cost of living and other allowances taken into account in the test. The latest such review took effect last October through the Housing Renewal Grants (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2003.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is also reviewing the DFG programme, including the operation of the means test, in the context of the Spending Review 2004 and will announce its conclusions later this year.

Fenestration Self-assessment Scheme

Mark Todd: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he has taken to ensure that work completed by a Fenestration Self-Assessment Scheme registered company meets the same standards as work inspected by a local authority.

Phil Hope: All Fenestration Self-Assessment Scheme (FENSA) members are required to carry out all work in such a way that it complies with all relevant requirements of the Building Regulations, and FENSA monitors a sample of the work to ensure that this is so. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister recently commissioned a report which looked at how far FENSA achieved compliance with the Regulations and concluded that on the whole it was successful in doing this.

Homelessness

Simon Hughes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many families have claimed to be homeless in (a) London and (b) England in each year since 1997; and how many people were homeless in (i) London and (ii) England in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: Information collected about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is in respect of households, rather than families or persons. Estimates of total decisions made on applications, and the number of these where a main homelessness duty was owed, in London and England are tabled as follows:
	
		
			  Homelessness decisions Homelessness acceptances 
			  London England London England 
		
		
			 1997 54,540 242,340 24,370 102,000 
			 1998 57,490 245,350 26,310 104,630 
			 1999 59,700 243,290 28,380 105,370 
			 2000 60,790 247,190 28,230 111,340 
			 2001 63,420 256,390 31,370 118,610 
			 2002 60,540 270,280 30,320 125,070 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures include estimates for missing data, and have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. Acceptances refers to households found to be eligible, unintentionally homeless and in priority need.
	Source:
	ODPM P1(E) quarterly housing activity returns.
	A range of national and regional homelessness informationwhich includes estimates for non-responding local authoritiesappears in a quarterly Statistical Release, available in the Libraries of the House and via the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website. An accompanying Supplementary Table presents key data at regional and local authority level. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister website link is: http://www. odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm housing/documents/page/odpm house 604177.hcsp

Housing

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the Government has invested in (a) council housing and (b) social housing schemes in (i) St. Helens, (ii) Merseyside and (iii) the north-west in each year since 1992.

Keith Hill: The information is not available in the form requested. The following table gives details of the Housing Investment Programme and the Approved Development Programme, from 1999 to date. The information from 199299 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		 million
		
			  HIP ADP Total  
		
		
			 19992000
			 St. Helens 5.4 1 6.4 
			 Merseyside 45.1 30.9 76 
			 North West 216.7 70 286.7 
			 
			 200001
			 St. Helens 8.01 1.2 9.21 
			 Merseyside 69.7 28.9 98.6 
			 North West 296.1 59.3 355.4 
			
			 200102
			 St. Helens 10.8 1.1 11.9 
			 Merseyside 85.2 15.7 100.9 
			 North West 347.3 0.05 347.35 
			 
			 200203
			 St. Helens 10.5 0.56 11.1 
			 Merseyside 89 26.7 115.7 
			 North West 363 68.3 431.3 
			 
			 200304
			 St. Helens 2.7 3.3 6 
			 Merseyside 65 75.6 140.6 
			 North West 323.5 68.3 391.8

Housing

John Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what arrangements he has put in place to ensure that local authorities in the process of developing empty property strategies to increase housing resources and aid regeneration take empty commercial buildings into account.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister considers that local authorities should take account of opportunities to convert redundant commercial property for housing use alongside their more traditional role of encouraging the re-use of vacant residential property. This is reflected in guidance we published earlier this yearEmpty Property, Unlocking the Potentialwhich provides guidance to local authorities on establishing empty property strategies and covers a wide spectrum of property from empty homes to commercial property.

Housing

John Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what arrangements he has put in place to ensure that local authorities are devoting adequate human resources to empty home strategies, with particular reference to the appointment of dedicated empty properties officers.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are ensuring that local authorities have adequate financial resources to provide decent local services without making excessive demands on local tax payers. For 200405 the Government will be providing total support to local authorities of 54.5 billion, an increase of 30 per cent. since 1997.
	It is for local authorities to determine the level of resources, both human and financial, they devote to particular activities such as empty homes reduction strategies in line with local priorities.

Housing

John Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to provide incentives for landlords to ensure that their properties remain occupied.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister plans to give local authorities discretionary powers to end the present council tax discount on long-term vacant dwellings, which will provide an incentive for owners to ensure their properties do not remain vacant for long periods of time.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has also introduced a range of fiscal incentives to encourage the reuse of vacant dwellings, in particular by reducing to 5 per cent. the rate at which VAT is charged on the renovation of dwellings vacant for 3 or more years.

Housing

John Hayes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what training the Government (a) has given and (b) is giving to local authorities to ensure that they are aware of the extent of their power to act as a financial institution in the housing market as provided by the Regulatory Reform Act 2002.

Keith Hill: Circular 05/2003, entitled 'Housing Renewal' and issued in June 2003 by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister sets out the extent of local authorities new powers under the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance)(England and Wales) Order 2002 to provide financial assistance for the repair, improvement and adaptation of housing accommodation.
	In relation to the provision of loan finance, the circular explains that local authorities and housing associations will be exempt from the Financial Services Authority regulatory regime on mortgage lending which will take effect from October 2004. However, local authorities and housing associations must still adhere to the underlying key principles of such mortgage regulation and The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, in consultation with the Housing Corporation and Local Government Association, is considering what further advice, guidance and training should be provided to them.

Identity Cards

Steve Webb: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the implications of the introduction of compulsory identity cards for his Department.

Yvette Cooper: The introduction of Identity Cards is a long-term undertaking upon which the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is in discussion with the Home Office. However, as the scheme is still being developed it is too early to assess the implications for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Kirklees Council (Funding)

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total change in Government funding for Kirklees Council was in each year since 1997; how much of this total came from revenue from taxation; and how much was targeted on (a) regeneration projects, (b) specific grants for education, (c) social services and (d) direct funds for education not accounted for in the local education authority budget.

Nick Raynsford: Tabled as follows are details of revenue grants received by Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council as part of gross Aggregate External Finance (AEF) between 199697 to 200405. This does not include the amount raised by the local authority through council tax. Most of the funding is paid as general grant and it is not therefore possible to provide a figure for the amount of this funding which was targeted on specific services. Funding for grants within AEF are paid through local authorities.
	
		000
		
			  199697 199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Revenue Support Grant 132,598 131,230 142,727 144,857 141,631 150,052 144,256 177,435 199,354 
			 National Non-Domestic Rates 90,026 84,653 88,507 96,074 108,810 106,625 117,363 113,867 108,809 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal Fund  1,496 2,244 2,992 2,992 
			 Education Grants 3,670 4,130 5,713 8,158 15,760 30,843 29,397 27,219 (35) 
			 Personal Social Service Grants 4,471 3,244 3,460 3,970 5,405 9,258 14,987 12,158 (35) 
			 Supporting People6,727 (35) 
		
	
	(35) Data not available until spring 2004 when it will be reported by local authorities on their RA and RA(SG) returns.
	Notes:
	1. The grants are on an unadjusted basis and may not be comparable between years, because transfers of function may have taken place.
	2. Information on specific grants up until 200203 is taken from local authority outturn returns. From 200304, where outturn information is not yet available this is based on local authority budget returns.

Local Government Finance

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the number of people in receipt of disability living allowance and attendance allowance within a local authority area is taken into account in determining the amount of central Government block grant funding the local area receives.

Nick Raynsford: The number of older people in receipt of disability living allowance and attendance allowance within a local authority area is one of the data indicators used in calculating the Social Services for Older People Formula Spending Share (FSS). An authority's total FSS is one of the major determinants in calculating the amount of Formula Grant for the authority.

Local Government Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what additional resources he is giving local authorities to meet the responsibilities he recently gave them.

Nick Raynsford: The Government's proposals for the funding of local authority revenue spending in 200405 provide for an increase in Government grant of 3.6 billion, which is an increase of 7.1 per cent. over the current financial year on a like for like basis. Additional resources are provided to cover all new responsibilities when local authorities are required to meet.
	Over the past seven years, local authorities have received a 30 per cent. real terms increase in grant from Government.

Local Government Finance

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the procedures adopted to circulate the additional money to local councils announced in the pre-Budget Statement, with particular reference to the allocation to the Southend-on-Sea Unitary Authority.

Nick Raynsford: The additional 340 million announced in the pre-Budget Statement was provided to help with the provision of children's services and liveability issues. It was therefore provided to those authorities that have responsibility for these services. This includes all unitary authorities such as Southend-on-Sea.
	As announced on the 11 December 2003 the floor for authorities with education and social services responsibilities was raised from 3.5 per cent. to 4.0 per cent. and the ceiling from 5.8 per cent. to 7.5 per cent. For Shire districts, the floor was raised from 2.2 per cent. to 3.0 per cent.
	Without the application of floors and ceilings, Southend-on-Sea would have received 125.829 million, a decrease of 0.5 per cent., before the pre-Budget Statement, and 126.993 million, an increase of 0.4 per cent., after the pre-Budget Statement. These increases are obviously below the floor. However in addition to the floors the Government also announced that no authority would receive a smaller grant increase than the increase in their schools FSS. This increased Southend-on-Sea's grant above the 4 per cent. floor to 131.519 million before the pre-Budget Statement. The 4,142 increase in grant received by Southend-on-Sea following the pre-Budget Statement was a consequence of the technical adjustment to the base position for floors and ceilings made for new capital investment.

Local Government Finance

Adrian Flook: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the extra amounts given to each local authority in the pre-Budget report; and what proportion of Government support already announced for 200405 this represents in each case.

Nick Raynsford: A table showing the provisional distribution of the additional 340 million announced in the pre-Budget report was published on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website on 11 December 2003 (see http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/0405/con2grntdiff.xls). For convenience a copy of this table is also available in the Libraries of the House.

Ministerial Visits

Philip Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list visits by Ministers in his Department since January 2002, broken down by (a) region and (b) county and unitary authority.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established in May 2002. Since then Ministers have made the following visits on official business (the number of visits to each location is shown in brackets):
	Bedfordshire, East of England (3)
	Berkshire, South East (2)
	Birmingham, West Midlands (37)
	Blackpool, North West
	Bournemouth, South West (2)
	Bradford, Yorkshire and the Humber
	Brighton and Hove, South East (4)
	Bristol, South West (3)
	Buckinghamshire, South East (5)
	Cambridge, East
	Cheshire, North West (3)
	Cornwall, South West
	County Durham, North East
	Cumbria, North West (3)
	Darlington, North East
	Derby, East Midlands
	Derbyshire, East Midlands (4)
	Devon, South West (2)
	Dorset, South West
	Durham, North East (4)
	East Sussex, South East
	East Sussex, South East (2)
	Essex, East
	Essex, East of England (4)
	Gloucestershire, South West (2)
	Greater London, London (54)
	Hertfordshire, East of England (6)
	Kent, South East (13)
	Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire and the Humber (9)
	Lancashire, North West (2)
	Leicester, East Midlands (2)
	Lincolnshire, East Midlands (2)
	Liverpool, North West (5)
	Manchester, North West (12)
	Merseyside, North West (2)
	Middlesborough, North East
	Milton Keynes, South East (3)
	Newcastle, North East (9)
	Norfolk, East of England (3)
	Northamptonshire, East Midlands (4)
	Nottingham, East Midlands
	Nottinghamshire, East Midlands (2)
	Oxfordshire, South East (2)
	Peterborough, East (4)
	Plymouth, South West (2)
	Portsmouth, South East
	Shropshire, West Midlands (3)
	South Yorkshire, Yorkshire and the Humber (7)
	Southampton, South East (2)
	Staffordshire, West Midlands (3)
	Stoke on Trent, West Midlands
	Suffolk, East
	Surrey, South East (4)
	Torbay, South West
	Warrington, North West (4)
	West Yorkshire, Yorkshire and the Humber (4)
	York, Yorkshire and Humberside (3)

Mobile Phone Masts

Paul Goodman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what reasons he has for allowing mobile phone masts to be erected on top of existing buildings without the need for planning permission; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: Mobile phone masts up to and including 15 metres in height installed on a building are subject to the same rules on prior approval as ground based masts of the same height. Antennas of less than four metres in height that are attached directly to buildings are subject to permitted development rights.

Police Authority Precepts

Helen Jackson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister by how much in total police authority precepts have exceeded their grant increase over each of the past five years.

Nick Raynsford: The amount by which the increase in police authority precepts has exceeded the increase in grant for the years 199899 to 200304 is tabled as follows:
	
		
			  Amount by which increase in precepts exceeds grants to the nearest whole  million 
		
		
			 199899 to 19992000 -103 
			 19992000 to 200001 -75 
			 200001 to 200102 -127 
			 200102 to 200203 109 
			 200203 to 200304 129 
		
	
	This table includes all police authorities except the Metropolitan Police and the City of London. In each year, grants have been compared with previous years' grants on a like-for-like basis, taking into account adjustments for changes in function and funding.
	The data for the years 199899 to 200203 are outturn data taken from the RS forms. The data for 200304 are budget data taken from the RA forms as outturn data are not yet available. These forms are completed each year by individual local authorities.
	The grants included are Police Grant, redistributed business rates and Revenue Support Grant. Amounts received under the SSA Reduction Grant (Police Funding Review), and Central Support Protection Grant have also been included, where appropriate. In addition to the grants included in the table, police authorities also received a number of special and specific grants.

Regional Assemblies

David Curry: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost was of establishing a website for the Elected Regional Assembly: Your Say campaign.

Nick Raynsford: The Your Say website is part of the general Office of the Deputy Prime Minister website. The only cost of establishing the website was the use of a small amount of staff time.

Regional Assemblies

David Curry: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many copies of the information leaflet Elected Regional Assembly: Your Say have been (a) printed and (b) distributed in (i) Yorkshire and the Humber, (ii) the North West and (iii) the North East.

Nick Raynsford: To date the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have so far printed and issued 6,200 Your Say leaflets for each of the three northern regions.

Regional Assemblies

David Curry: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what the total cost of expenditure has been on promoting regional assemblies in each year since May 2002;
	(2)  what the budget of the information campaign, Elected Regional Assembly: Your Say, is (a) in total, (b) for the North West, (c) for the North East and (d) for Yorkshire and the Humber.

Nick Raynsford: The information campaign is designed to inform members of the public about elected regional assemblies and referendums. The costs of the launch are estimated at 25,000. These costs included accommodation, venue hire, refreshments and transport.
	Material produced for the launch of the campaign, such as exhibition stands and leaflets will continue to be used throughout the information campaign in the three northern regions. The estimated total cost for the information campaign for this financial year are expected to be 500,000.

Relationship Managers

Graham Brady: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which local authorities he is assessing for (a) the introduction of relationship managers and (b) transferring the control of their services to other councils; and what criteria he has used in making these assessments.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has appointed lead officials to work with the 13 education and social services authorities rated poor under the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) carried out by the Audit Commission in 2002; also with two authorities which were rated weak in 2002 but with poor corporate capacity to improve; and at present with one district council rated as poor in October 2003. These authorities are: Bedfordshire, Coventry, Hackney, Islington, Kingston-upon-Hull, Lambeth, North East Lincolnshire, North Tyneside, Oldham, Plymouth, Swindon, Torbay, Torridge, Wakefield, Walsall and Waltham Forest.
	In addition, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been working on a voluntary basis prior to CPA assessment with Chester-le-Street, Erewash and Rossendale district councils. Discussions are currently also under way with a number of authorities who were rated weak in 2002 with a view to working on a voluntary basis with them.
	It is for the councils themselves to identify the key steps needed to achieve recovery through improvement. The role of lead officials is to monitor their rate of progress, and to provide advice to Ministers on whether that rate of progress is acceptable. Under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1999, the Government do have power to intervene in authorities which fail to comply with their duty of best value.

Wind Farms

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what planning guidelines apply to wind farms in areas of outstanding natural beauty.

Keith Hill: The current guidelines are set out in Planning Policy Guidance note 22: Renewable Energy (PPG22). Paragraphs 27 to 29 of the PPG set out the guidelines for assessing development proposals relating to all renewable energy projects in National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Broads and Sites of Special Scientific Interest. A draft revised Planning Policy Statement 22, which will replace the existing PPG22, was issued for three months consultation on 5 November.

TREASURY

Consumer Spending

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much consumer spending has increased, in real terms, in each quarter since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Mike Hughes to Mr. Stephen O'Brien dated 5 January 2004
	. I am replying in his absence.
	Consumer spending is described as household final consumption expenditure in the UK National Accounts (series identifier ABJR). The following table shows the seasonally adjusted quarter-on-quarter growth of this series in volume.
	
		Household final consumption expenditure(36): quarter-on-quarter growth (%) in volume terms, 19972003United Kingdom
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Quarter 1 0.4 1.0 1.7 2.0 1.3 0.1 -0.2 
			 Quarter 2 1.6 0.9 1.0 0.2 0.4 1.1 0.8 
			 Quarter 3 0.1 0.9 0.7 0.6 1.6 0.5 0.9 
			 Quarter 4 1.4 0.8 1.8 0.0 1.4 1.0  
		
	
	(36) Seasonally adjusted

Government Employees

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the working population in each region of the UK is government employees.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. George Osborne, dated 5 January 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about government employees in the UK. (145116)
	Information from administrative returns shows that, in 2002, 2.8% of employee jobs in the UK were in central government. No statistics from this source are available by region.
	The Labour Force Survey (LFS) does provide regional statistics for the proportions of employed people who classify themselves as working in central government or the Civil Service. These figures are based on respondents' own assessments and are not necessarily consistent with the official classification of the organisations they work for. However, for the UK as a whole, the most recent LFS data for the three months ending August 2003, shows 2.9% of people in employment working in central government, very close to the figure from the administrative returns.
	The attached table shows the LFS statistics by region.
	
		Percentages of employment in central Government and the Civil Service by region -- Three months ending August 2003(37)
		
			 Government office region of residence Percentage 
		
		
			  
			  
			 East Midlands 2.1 
			 Eastern 2.3 
			 London 3.3 
			 North East 3.5 
			 North West 3.0 
			 Northern Ireland 6.4 
			 Scotland 3.5 
			 South East 2.7 
			 South West 2.7 
			 Wales 3.5 
			 West Midlands 1.8 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 3.0 
			 United Kingdom 2.9 
		
	
	(37) Percentage, no seasonally adjusted.
	Source:
	Labour Force Survey

Tonnage Tax

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies have been rejected for entry into the tonnage tax scheme in each year since the system was introduced; and how many of these were operating under (a) the red ensign and (b) other flags.

Dawn Primarolo: No company has had an election for tonnage tax rejected.
	Companies can discuss their eligibility for the regime in advance with the Inland Revenue. Where such discussions take place, a company will sometimes decide not to make an election.

Unemployment (Lone Parents)

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many lone parent workless households there were in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many children in workless households there were in each of the last three years.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Bob Spink, dated 5 January 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions about lone parent workless households and children in workless households. (145290, 145291)
	The attached table gives the information requested. These estimates are from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), for the three month period ending May of each year from 2001 to 2003.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to sampling error.
	
		Workless lone parent households and children living in workless households(38); United Kingdom -- Thousands, not seasonally adjusted
		
			  Workless lone parent households with dependent children(39) Children living in workless households(40) 
		
		
			 Spring 2001 684 1,830 
			 Spring 2002 703 1,889 
			 Spring 2003 697 1,796 
		
	
	(38) Households with at least one person of working age where no one is in employment. Figures have been adjusted to include estimates for households with unknown economic activity.
	(39) Children under 16 and those aged 1618 in full-time education.
	(40) Children under 16.
	Note:
	These LFS estimates have not been adjusted to reflect the2001 Census results.
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey

Agricultural Employment

David Ruffley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were employed in the agriculture sector in (a) Suffolk, (b) Norfolk, (c) Cambridgeshire, (d) Essex and (e) England in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	Figures for the agricultural labour force (paid and unpaid) are collected annually from the June Agricultural Census. They include managerial and office work on the holding, the preparation and marketing of produce and maintenance but exclude gardeners, groundsmen, gamekeepers, grooms, farm shop workers, sales assistants in garden centres, domestic staff in the farmhouse and schoolchildren.
	
		Total agricultural labour force -- Thousands
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			  
			  
			 (a) Suffolk 11.8 12.2 11.2 11.2 11.6 10.8 
			 (b) Norfolk 17.0 17.5 16.1 15.9 16.4 15.9 
			 (c) Cambridge (including Peterborough) 9.7 9.8 9.2 9.1 9.3 9.2 
			 (d) Essex (including Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea 11.4 11.6 10.9 10.6 10.8 10.4 
			 (e) England 393.1 396.6 379.0 374.3 386.9 371.6 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures prior to 2000 relate to main holdings only. From 2000 onwards data for all holdings are included.
	2. Due to a register improvement exercise in 2001 labour figures prior to this are not directly comparable with later results.
	Source:
	June Agricultural Census

Decent Homes Standard

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans the Government have to compensate Amber Valley Housing Ltd. for the loss of funds resulting from the Inland Revenue ruling of 24 October 2003 to enable them to fulfil their business plan.

Dawn Primarolo: On 24 October 2003, the Inland Revenue gave its preliminary view on the tax implications of contracts developed by a major accountancy firm. Discussions are continuing.

Decent Homes Standard

Marsha Singh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the Government will compensate Bradford for the loss of funds available to the Bradford and Northern Housing Association that will result from the Inland Revenue's ruling of 24 October 2003.

Dawn Primarolo: On 24 October 2003, the Inland Revenue gave its preliminary view on the tax implications of contracts developed by a major accountancy firm. Discussions are continuing.

Decent Homes Standard

Diana Organ: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government will take to compensate Forest of Dean Housing for the loss of funds arising from the Inland Revenue's ruling of 24 October 2003.

Dawn Primarolo: On 24 October 2003, the Inland Revenue gave its preliminary view on the tax implications of contracts developed by a major accountancy firm. Discussions are continuing.

Average Income

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average income was in the (a) 50 most deprived and (b) 50 most affluent wards in England in the last year for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the percentage of that income which was spent on food.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Mike Pepper to Mr. Andrew George, dated 5 January 2004
	. I am replying in his absence.
	The Expenditure and Food Survey is the only data source that provides consistent information on both income and expenditure (report available at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vink=361). This is a sample survey covering about 7,500 households in the UK. However, given the limitations of the sample size and the survey design, results from the survey are not published below regional level. Ward level information is not available.

Budget (Responses)

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many responses his Department received to the (a) Budget 2002 summary leaflets and (b) leaflets summarising the 2002 pre-Budget report.

Ruth Kelly: The Treasury receives a large number of responses to its Budget and Pre-Budget Report documentation, not only from the public using the freepost service with the Pre-Budget Report leaflet, but also through letters, e-mails and telephone calls to the Treasury's Public Enquiry Unit.

Carers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to reward people for caring for older relatives.

Dawn Primarolo: This Government formally recognises the contribution of carers through the National Carers' Strategy ('Caring for Carers') published in 1999. In acknowledgement of their valuable role the Government have instigated a number of measures to ensure financial support for carers, in particular at helping older and poorer carers, those on low income, and those carers who wish to combine caring with employment, including:
	the upper age limit to claiming Carer's Allowance was abolished, allowing carers aged 65 and above access to the benefit for the first time;
	carers may also qualify for extra help within income related benefits. The amount has increased from 14.15 in March 2001 to 25.10 in April 2003, and helps over 250,000 carers; and
	the earnings limit has been increased substantially and is currently 77 a week after allowable expenses.
	Carers can now claim Carer's Allowance online using the DWP easy step-by-step electronic claim form.
	The Government recently introduced the Pension Credit, which provides a guaranteed minimum income for all people aged 60 and over. Under the Pension Credit additional amounts are included for carers. Those entitled to Carer's Allowance or treated as satisfying the qualifying conditions for the award may benefit from the additional amount.
	People receiving Carer's Allowance are credited with National Insurance contributions each week, which protect their future entitlement to benefits such as State Pension and Incapacity Benefit. They also get extra help through the Government's State Second Pension.

Child Tax Credit

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families with children were eligible for child tax credit in (a) St. Helens and (b) Merseyside in (i) 2001, (ii) 2002 and (iii) 2003.

Dawn Primarolo: Child tax credit was introduced in April 2003. Estimates, based on a sample of cases, of the numbers receiving child tax credit in each local authority and constituency at July 2003 are shown in Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Geographical analyses. This document can be found on the Inland Revenue website, at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm No estimates are available of the number of families eligible in each constituency or local authority.

Child Trust Funds

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will offer incentives for contributions to child trust funds for those in receipt of child tax credit.

Ruth Kelly: The child trust fund will benefit all children while making sure that most help goes to those who need it most.
	The Government endowments are a powerful incentive for a child's family to save. All eligible children will receive a Government endowment of 250. Children in households with a finalised claim to child tax credit (CTC) and income below the CTC threshold, currently 13,230, will receive an additional Government endowment of 250, making 500 in total. The Government will make further payments into accounts when children turn seven, and again, there will be an additional payment for the poorest children.

Child Trust Funds

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will establish a website dedicated to providing financial education for (a) children and (b) parents on child trust funds.

Ruth Kelly: The Inland Revenue is developing a dedicated website to provide a one-stop shop for information on the Child Trust Fund (CTF). It will include resources for a variety of audiences including parents, family members, children and teachers.
	The Government will also work with the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to include the CTF in their consumer information activity. This will include incorporating the CTF into the FSA consumer website.

Child Trust Funds

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which parent will have legal responsibility for their child's trust fund should they divorce.

Ruth Kelly: The situation for the CTF will be a matter of general law.
	When a married couple separates or divorces, both parents retain parental responsibility. They are required to make an arrangement at the time of the divorce or separation specifying the arrangements for the child, which in practice, covers matters like living arrangements and contact arrangements, but would be encouraged to seek advice and agreement on other issues which could include the child's Child Trust Fund.
	The general law reflects the principle that parents should not be regarded as losing their position and ability to take decisions about their children, simply because they are in dispute with one another about a particular matter.

Child Trust Funds

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what scoping exercise his Department has conducted to assess the likely contributions those on low incomes will make to child trust funds.

Ruth Kelly: We have asked Deloitte, an independent consultancy, to carry out detailed quantitative and qualitative research on the impact of different charge cap structures on the Child Trust Fund (CTF) market. This research includes analysis of likely contributions into CTF accounts.

Child Trust Funds

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what will happen to contributions and interest payments made to a Child Trust Fund while the Inland Revenue is considering whether or not a child is eligible for the topped-up endowment.

Ruth Kelly: The Government will pay an initial endowment of 250 into every eligible child's CTF account soon after it is opened. Children in families receiving child tax credit (CTC) and with a household income below the CTC threshold (currently 13,230) will receive an additional 250. This will be added to the CTF account once the CTC award for that year is confirmed.
	Any contributions made into the CTF account or interest arising on the funds in that account in the period between payment of the initial Government endowment and the additional endowment will remain in the CTF account and no tax charge will arise on any income and gains.

Child Trust Funds

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will allow investment companies to charge a basic administration fee for Child Trust Funds which would be topped-up by a performance-related administration fee.

Ruth Kelly: Draft regulations setting out the charges for Child Trust Fund accounts will be published during the passage of the Bill.

Child Trust Funds

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether parents under 18 will be able to make decisions on trust funds for their children.

Ruth Kelly: In England Wales and Northern Ireland where a parent under the age of 18 has a child who is eligible for a CTF account it will not be possible for that parent to manage their child's CTF account. This is because although parents have parental responsibility for their children under the Children Act 1989 they do not have the legal capacity to enter into binding contracts to purchase equities.
	As a result they are not able to make decisions about CTF accounts. In these circumstances the Inland Revenue will open a stakeholder account CTF account on behalf of the child. Once the parent reaches the age of 18, they will be able to assume responsibility for managing their child's CTF account.
	The situation is different in Scotland where 16 year olds are entitled to make their own decisions about their property, including CTF accounts. This means that a parent aged between 16 and 18 in Scotland will be able to manage their child's CTF account.

Council Tax

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average council tax was (a) gross and (b) net of rebates as a percentage of equivalised disposable income in each income quintile for (i) pensioner households and (ii) non-pensioner households in 199798.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Dr. Mike Pepper to Mr. David Willetts dated 5 January 2004
	. I am replying in his absence.
	Estimates for council taxes are based on the analysis The effects of taxes and benefits on household income 200102 produced by the ONS and published on the National Statistics website on October 21st 2003. The analysis can be obtained from the House of Commons Library or from the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/taxesbenefits. It includes measures of income inequality for the United Kingdom as a whole based on data from the Expenditure and Food Survey. This is a sample survey covering about 7,500 households in the UK and sample sizes are only sufficient to give approximate estimates for pensioner households.
	Pensioner households have been defined as those where the Head of Household is retired or unoccupied and aged 65 or more and male, or 60 years of age or more and female, and economically inactive. Answers to other recent parliamentary questions about council tax broken down by household type, relating to 200102, have used the definition of the Household Reference Person rather than the Head of Household. Detailed information on the definition of these identifiers can be found on the National Statistics website.
	Council tax is not paid in Northern Ireland. Estimates for 199798 for Great Britain are shown in the following table for gross and net council tax as a percentage of disposable income for all pensioner households (single and couples) and non pensioner households, and for all households. Equivalised income has been used to divide households into quintiles. However, the estimates of Council tax as a percentage of income use unequivalised rather than equivalised income (i.e. without the adjustment for household size). Equivalisation is a standard methodology that takes into account the size and composition of households and adjusts their incomes to recognise differing demands on resources. It is used for ranking households in particular. It is more usual to analyse unequivalised income in relation to expenditure items (which are unequivalised) such as Council tax. However, if the same equivalisation factors were applied to income and expenditure, the factors would cancel each other out and the percentages would remain the same.
	
		Council tax as a percentage of disposable income for pensioner(41) and non-pensioner households, 199798Great Britain(42)
		
			  Quintile groups of all households ranked by equivalised disposable income  
			 Households Bottom  2nd  3rd  4th  Top All households 
		
		
			  Quintile points(43)(equivalised disposable income,  per year) 
			 Pensioner  7,701  9,503  11,707  15,393  
			 Non-pensioner  9,177  13,623  18,449  25,508  
			 All households  8,504  11,922  16,342  23,457  
			  Gross council tax as a percentage unequivalised disposable of income 
			 Pensioner 9.4  7.0  5.8  4.5  3.4 5.1 
			 Non-pensioner 6.0  3.7  2.9  2.3  1.7 2.6 
			 All households 6.8  4.7  3.2  2.6  1.8 2.9 
			  Net council tax(44) as a percentage of unequivalised disposable income 
			 Pensioner 5.8  4.4  4.2  3.4  3.1 3.8 
			 Non-pensioner 3.0  3.0  2.7  2.3  1.7 2.3 
			 All households 3.5  3.3  2.9  2.5  1.8 2.4 
		
	
	(41) Household reference person is economically inactive and over minimum state pension age.
	(42) Council tax is not paid in Northern Ireland
	(43) Equivalised disposable income at the boundary point between two quintile groups.
	(44) Net council taxes after deducting benefits and discounts.
	Source
	Office for National Statistics, based on the analysis 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income,' published on the National Statistics website

Council Tax

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) average equivalised disposable income and (b) gross council tax in money terms was for each income quintile in 200102; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Mike Pepper to Mr. David Willetts, dated 5 January 2004
	. I am replying in his absence.
	Estimates in the following table are produced from the Office for National Statistics' analysis The effects of taxes and benefits on household income published on the National Statistics website on October 21st 2003 at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/taxesbenefits. The analysis includes measures of income inequality for the United Kingdom as a whole based on data from the Expenditure and Food Survey. This is a sample survey covering about 7,500 households in the UK and sample sizes are only sufficient to give approximate estimates. In particular, results for the lowest quintile are less reliable than for others because of greater variability and because it includes households with members in a state of occupational transition.
	The table shows for 200102, the average disposable income and average gross council tax paid by all households in Great Britain and for each income quintile group where households are ranked by equivalised disposable income. Although equivalised income has been used to divide households into quintiles, the estimates of average disposable income and average gross council tax are unequivalised. Equivalisation is a standard methodology that takes into account the size and composition of households and adjusts their incomes to recognise differing demands on resources, and is used for ranking households in particular. However, it is more usual to analyse unequivalised income in relation to an expenditure item such as Council tax which is not equivalised.
	
		Average disposable income and gross council tax ( pa) by equivalised disposable income quintile, 200102Great Britain(45)
		
			 Quintile Income boundary(46) Average unequivalised disposable income Average gross council tax 
		
		
			  
			  
			 Bottom  7,829 647 
			  10,397   
			 2nd  12,720 652 
			  14,717   
			 3rd  18,992 721 
			  20,042   
			 4th  26,915 789 
			  28,596  
			 Top  48,124 895 
			  
			 All households  23,011 741 
		
	
	(45) Council tax is not paid in Northern Ireland
	(46) Boundary point between equivalised disposable income quintiles
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics, based on the analysis 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income', published on the ONS website.

Debt Interest

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the level of central government gross debt interest in (a) 200607 and (b) 200809 derived from the projections for public sector net debt up to 200809 in Table B5 of the 2003 pre-Budget report.

Paul Boateng: PBR projections for public expenditure after the end of the 2002 Spending Review period are based on assumptions about overall growth rates, as set out in paragraph B27 of the pre-Budget report, rather than on forecasts of individual spending components. Therefore no forecasts of debt interest after 200506 are available.

Debt Interest

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the size of the increment in central Government gross debt interest from 200405 to 200506 relative to the size of the increments for the years (a) 200203 to 200304 and (b) 200304 to 200405.

Paul Boateng: Estimates of central Government gross debt interest depend on a combination of factors. In the PBR projection there is a large increase between 200203 and 200304, mainly due to higher RPI inflation in 200304, and between 200304 and 200405, mainly due to assumed interest rates, based on market expectations, which are much higher in 200405, and a larger rise in the RPI. The increase in debt interest between 200405 and 200506 is smaller because assumed interest rates rise by less than in the previous year and RPI inflation is lower.

Debt Interest

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the size of the increment in central Government gross debt interest between 200405 and 200506 indicated in the pre-Budget report 2003 relative to that indicated in Budget 2003.

Paul Boateng: Changes to estimates of central Government debt interest payments since the Budget reflect the revision of projections of a number of factors, as outlined in paragraph B73 of the pre-Budget report.

Departmental Advertising

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total expenditure on information campaigns and advertising was for his Department for each year since 1997.

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total expenditure on (a) information campaigns and (b) advertising was for his Department in each year since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: I refer to the answer given to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 19 November 2003 Official Report, column 1093W.

Domestic Business Tax Allowance

Brian Iddon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many respondents to the recent Treasury consultation on economic instruments to improve household energy efficiency supported domestic business tax allowance.

John Healey: The Government have published a summary of consultation responses, which is available from the Treasury website. This summary explains that the Government received 126 responses to the consultation, of which 72 supported a domestic business tax allowance.

Employment (Older People)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how his pre-Budget report plans for full employment will help older people who wish to remain in the labour market.

John Healey: The 2003 pre-Budget report plans for full employment will help ensure that older workers are given the choice and opportunity to continue working beyond their normal retirement age. Details of these measures are contained in paragraphs 4.31, 5.53 and 5.62 of the pre-Budget report [Cm 6042].

Financial Products (Mis-selling)

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what resources he is allocating to increase adult financial literacy so that parents of children with child trust funds can make informed decisions about investments for their children.

Ruth Kelly: We are working with the FSA and key players in adult literacy from Government and the voluntary sector to identify the needs of parents in relation to managing the Child Trust Fund and the best ways of meeting them.
	We will continue to work very closely with the FSA and others, like the Personal Finance Education Group (PFEG), to improve financial literacy standards among the population. I am on the Financial Capability Steering Group led by the FSA.
	Research has been carried out into the communication needs of parents whose children are eligible for the Child Trust Fund, particularly those of parents who have little or no experience of saving. The findings will inform the information pack that will be sent out with the CTF voucher and a website on the CTF.
	This work will develop over 2004 and involve financial providers and community groups too. We expect a range of explanatory materials to be developed to help families make informed decisions about their Child Trust Funds.

Financial Products (Mis-selling)

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education and Skills about using the child trust fund to improve financial literacy for children and teenagers.

Ruth Kelly: I am the Minister responsible for the Child Trust Fund and my officials work very closely with the Department for Education and Skills and others involved in delivering financial capability for young people. I also refer my hon. Friend to the answer I am today giving to his question 145719.

Financial Products (Mis-selling)

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what resources will be available to teachers to increase their financial literacy so they are able to inform their pupils about child trust funds.

Ruth Kelly: We have already committed to commissioning the development of a range of Child Trust Fund (CTF) teaching and learning resources. The Inland Revenue will also work closely with the Department for Education and Skills, devolved administrations, FSA and other organisations to assess what additional support will help children engage with their CTF. This could include joint work to consider the professional development needs of teachers teaching personal finance topics and issuing updated guidance on teaching personal finance incorporating the CTF.
	A key point of contact will be a website dedicated to the CTF. It will be developed initially to meet the information and guidance needs of parents, then increasingly over time those of teachers and children.
	Ensuring teachers are properly equipped to deliver financial capability is important. We await with interest the outcome of work that has been undertaken independently by the Personal Finance Education Group into these issues, which is due to report in the new year.

Gershon Review

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Gershon Review is expected to report.

Paul Boateng: The Efficiency Review led by Sir Peter Gershon is expected to report around the time the Spending Review is announced.

Gift Aid

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for 
	(1)  what reason he proposes to end gift aid tax relief on admission charges to charity venues;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with heritage and conservation charities about the ending of gift aid tax relief on admission charges;
	(3)  what his estimate is of the cost to charities of the ending of gift aid tax relief on admission charges;
	(4)  if he will list those charities which will be affected by the ending of gift aid tax relief on admission charges;
	(5)  how much money has been rebated to charities as a result of gift aid tax relief on admission charges since its inception.

John Healey: Many heritage and conservation charities benefit from a special exemption which means they can offer free admission to donors, without that admission being regarded as a benefit under Gift Aid rules. This was originally introduced in 1989 and applied to deed of covenant arrangements. Since the change to Gift Aid in April 2000 an increasing number of heritage and conservation charities are granting free admission in return for a donation equal to the entrance fee. Charities are able to claim Gift Aid on such donations. This is an undesirable and unintended side effect of the Gift Aid legislation. It is unfair for some charities to be able to reclaim Gift Aid whilst others cannot.
	The amendments to the legislation will ensure that the special exemption for certain heritage and conservation charities applies as it was originally intended and not to day memberships of this kind.
	The Government will be consulting closely with charities which might be affected, through their associations and representative bodies, on the detail of how the change may be best achieved.
	Information on the amount repaid in relation to admission charges is not available, as there is no mechanism within Gift Aid to distinguish amounts repaid to charities according to the type of the donation. For this reason there are no estimates available of the cost to charities of the ending of the relief on admission charges.
	Information about individual organisations claiming Gift Aid is not available; Exemption 15 (Statutory and other restrictions) of the Open Government Code applies.

Hoechst Judgment

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the amount of tax likely to be repaid as a consequence of the European Court of Justice judgment in the Hoechst case; and how much has been repaid to date.

Dawn Primarolo: A total of 183 million has been paid to date as a consequence of the judgment of the European Court of Justice in the Hoechst case. Around 100 million of this may be recoverable depending on the outcome of a related court case. Current claims in which repayments have not yet been made are estimated to be in the region of 250 million, of which around 150 million depends on the court case. Any further repayments are subject to the other court decisions and a reliable estimate of the tax potentially repayable is not possible at the present time.

Israel

Richard Burden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the types of products that have been imported to the UK under preference according to the EU-Israel Association Agreement but which HM Customs and Excise has reason to believe have originated in Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories.

John Healey: The information requested could lead to the identification of individual importers, so the information cannot be made available; Exemption 13 (third party's commercial confidences) and 15 (statutory and other restrictions) of the Code of Conduct on Access to Government Information apply.

IT Systems

Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what Inland Revenue information technology systems are being privatised; and for what reasons.

Dawn Primarolo: No Inland Revenue IT systems are being privatised.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on the duty regime for liquefied petroleum gas for motor vehicles following his pre-Budget statement.

John Healey: The 2003 pre-Budget report (Cm 6042) announced that the current duty rate for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) would be gradually increased over time towards a level that is more commensurate with its environmental benefit.
	Consistent with the PBR commitment to provide unprecedented rolling three-year certainty on duty rates for all alternative fuels, the duty differentials for LPG for the next three years will be set out in Budget 2004.

National Statistics

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that for every National Statistics first release, the full list of Ministers and officials having pre-release access to the release or the associated briefing is made available, including (a) an electronic link for electronic versions of the release and (b) the length of pre-release access.

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 18 November 2003, Official Report, column 728W.
	The list of Treasury Ministers and officials who have authorised pre-release access to National Statistics first releases is available on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website. In addition, the Macroeconomic Statistics Service Level Agreement, drawn up between ONS and the Treasury in 1998, lists a further small number of individuals in the Treasury who receive copies of the Treasury's internal briefing on these statistical releases before the publication of the data. Since 1998, this list has been updated to reflect changes to personnel and staff structures.
	An updated list of those with authorised access to briefing in line with these procedures will be made available in due course.

Overseas Companies

Nick Harvey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what precedent there is for the UK Government purchasing an overseas company; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: From time to time, the Boards of state-owned enterprises take commercial decisions involving overseas investments. These decisions are a matter for those Boards under their governance arrangements with the responsible shareholding departments.

Private Finance Initiative/Public Private Partnerships Contracts

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will list the value of capital expenditure payments made under private finance initiative/public private partnerships contracts in each year since 1997;
	(2)  whether the projected payments under private finance initiative contracts shown in Table C20 of Budget 2003, HC 500, comprise (a) capital expenditure and (b) other payments; and if he will state what these payment are.

Paul Boateng: Table C20 of the Budget shows a forecast of the estimated unitary payments under signed PFI contracts over the next 25 years. PFI: Meeting the Investment Challenge paragraph 2.23 sets out what these payments comprise.
	Table C18 of the Budget lists departmental estimates of capital expenditure by the private sector under signed PFI/PPP contracts. Since 1997 these estimates are:
	
		 billion
		
			  Value 
		
		
			  
			  
			 199798 1.5 
			 199899 3.5 
			 19992000 2.7 
			 200001 3.2 
			 200102 3.5 
			 200203 3.7

Private Finance Initiative/Public Private Partnerships Contracts

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will state the nature of the element of private finance initiative contracts that is stated when these contracts are shown on balance sheet;
	(2)  what the total value is of (a) all private finance initiative contracts to maturity and (b) private finance initiative contracts shown on balance sheet; and what proportion of the total value is on balance sheet;
	(3)  if he will list the (a) private finance initiative contracts, (b) on-balance sheet private finance initiative contracts and (c) off-balance sheet private finance initiative contracts; and what proportion of private finance initiative contracts are on balance sheet.

Paul Boateng: Where the assets constructed under PFI contracts are reported on departmental balance sheets, the value reported is the full value of the assets concerned in accordance with the requirements of the Accounting Standards Board's Application Note F to FRS 5Private Finance Initiative and Similar Contracts.
	A total of 563 PFI transactions reached financial close by 4 April 2003, with a total capital value of 35.5 billion. The estimated capital value of signed PFI contracts where capital assets are accounted for on departmental balance sheets is 20.2 billion. This represents 57 per cent. of the total estimated capital value.
	A list of PFI contracts signed to date is available on the HM Treasury public website. PFI contracts where the assets concerned are on departmental balance sheets are reported in departmental accounts, together with disclosure of information relating to any contracts assessed as off balance sheet.

Pre-Budget Report 2003

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on his plans to look at the policy, funding and regulation activity which impacts on the private sector, referred to in paragraph 6.47 of the pre-Budget report 2003;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on his plans to look at the way in which (a) policy is set for, (b) funding provided to and (c) quality regulated in front line public service delivery organisations, referred to in paragraph 6.47 of the pre-Budget report 2003.

Paul Boateng: Departments have been asked to bring forward proposals in this area in their Spending Review submissions.

Pre-Budget Report 2003

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his plans to seek to ensure significant improvements in the productive time of front line public service professionals by realising benefits from investments agreed in the 2002 Spending Review, referred to in paragraph 6.47 of the pre-Budget report 2003.

Paul Boateng: This is a matter which will be considered in light of the Efficiency Review's further work and report later in the year.

Pre-Budget Report 2003

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what deadline he has set for the significant improvements in the productive time of front line public service professionals referred to in paragraph 6.47 of the pre-Budget Report 2003.

Paul Boateng: A decision on whether, how and at what level any targets for improvements in productive time should be set will be taken in light of the Efficiency Review's report later this year.

Pre-Budget Report 2003

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how he will measure the significant improvements in the productive time of front line public service professionals referred to in paragraph 6.47 of the pre-Budget Report 2003.

Paul Boateng: This is a matter on which the Efficiency Review will report later in the year.

Pre-Budget Report 2003

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he intends to set targets for the significant improvements in the productive time of front line public service professionals referred to in paragraph 6.47 of the pre-Budget Report 2003.

Paul Boateng: This matter will be considered when the Efficiency Review reports later in the year.

Pre-Budget Report Summary Leaflet

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many copies of the Pre-Budget Report Summary Leaflet, The Strength to Take the Long-Term Decisions; Seizing the Opportunities of the Global Recovery, were printed ahead of the Chancellor's statement to the House; and how many such summary leaflets were printed in each of the last six years.

Ruth Kelly: Around 1.2 million of 2003 Pre-Budget Report summary leaflets were produced. The number of leaflets distributed in past exercises were: Budget 2001400,000; Budget 20022,097,000; Budget 20031,230,000; and PBR 20021,500,000.

Private Sector Reviews

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reviews he has conducted since 1997 of the (a) policy, (b) funding and (c) regulation activity which impacts on the private sector; what the scope of each review was; what the outcome of each review was; and what changes have been made as a result of each review, with particular reference to public spending.

Paul Boateng: The Government routinely reviews the impact of its activities on the private sector. Details of measures are found in the Budget, Pre-Budget and Spending Review reports published since 1997.

Public Service Delivery Organisations

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reviews he has conducted since 1997 of the way in which (a) policy is set for, (b) funding provided to and (c) quality regulated in front line public service delivery organisations; what the scope of each review was; what the outcome of each review was; and what changes he has made as a result of each review, with particular reference to public spending.

Paul Boateng: The Government routinely reviews the impact of its activities on front-line public service delivery organisations. Details of major reforms since 1997 are to be found in subsequent Budget, Pre-Budget and Spending Review reports.

Tax Stamps (Whisky)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost to (a) the Treasury, (b) the whisky industry and (c) others of the proposed tax stamps on whisky;
	(2)  who will pay the cost of the strip stamps on whisky.

John Healey: The Government have made it clear that they will proceed with tax stamps for spirits if the industry is unable to put forward an alternative proposal that would be as effective in tackling spirits fraud.
	Costs falling to the industry will depend on the measures which the Government take to implement tax stamps, and on the detail of the measures the Government plan to introduce to mitigate the impact on the legitimate industry. Details will be set out in the Budget following discussions with industry, and a regulatory impact assessment produced at the appropriate time.
	The Government have begun discussions with the industry on the scope for alternative anti-fraud measures, and on both the impact of tax stamps on costs and measures that might help to minimise that impact. A full, updated estimate of those costs will be published in a draft Regulatory Impact Assessment, alongside draft legislation, in the spring.
	The Government have estimated that tax stamps would reduce revenue losses from spirits fraud by at least 160 million a year from 200607. Customs will be set a precise outcome target for reducing spirits fraud, and the costs to Customs of administering tax stamps from 200607 will be considered, as part of the 2004 Spending Review.

Teenage Pregnancies

Roy Beggs: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many teenage pregnancies there were in the last 12 months.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Beggs, dated 5 January 2004
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many teenage pregnancies there were in the last 12 months. (145316)
	In 2001, the latest year for which provisional figures are available, there were 40,966 teenage pregnancies in England and Wales (pregnancies at ages under 18).
	Estimates for March quarter 2002, based on incomplete abortion data, were published in Health Statistics Quarterly 20, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the Houses.

Tonnage Tax Scheme

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value was of financial concessions to the UK shipping industry through the tonnage tax scheme in each financial year since the concession was introduced.

Dawn Primarolo: 200001 an estimated cost of 10 million; 200102 an estimated cost of 25 million; 200203 an estimated cost of 35 million.

Tonnage Tax Scheme

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value was of (a) the tonnage tax scheme in (i) 200102 and (ii) 200203 and (b) tax paid by shipping companies in the last financial year of the previous arrangements.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) The estimated costs of the tonnage tax regime are published on the Inland Revenue website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/tax expenditures/00ap b1.htm.
	(b) Shipping companies' tax liabilities for 19992000 are estimated at 60 million.

Waste Management (Funding)

Sue Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the waste management sector-related payments, subsidies and grants provided by the Government to (a) local authorities and (b) non-governmental organisations in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The information is as follows:
	(a) Funding to local authorities Local authorities' waste management responsibilities are funded through Revenue Support Grant, which includes support in respect of new burdens in the waste area. This is a general grant, on the basis of which local authorities are free to invest according to local spending priorities. Local government grant has increased by 30 per cent. in real terms since 1997. Local authorities' spending by area is detailed in table 3.5a of the 2003 edition of Local Government Finance Statistics England, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
	The following table lists additional grants to local authorities introduced in 200203 related to waste management activities.
	
		 million
		
			 Source of funding 200203 200304 
		
		
			 Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund 50 114 
			 PFI credits 100 100 
		
	
	(b) Funding to Non-Governmental Organisations
	The following table gives details of grants from the Environmental Action Fund since 1999 for projects with a clear waste priority. Information is not available for funding to grant recipients for wider-ranging activities which have had a waste-related component.
	
		
		
			 Funding recipient 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 Total 
		
		
			 Community Recycling Network 59,400 59,400 85,450 200,000 219,250 623,500 
			 Composting Association 0 0 0 84,000 93,750 177,750 
			 Recycling Consortium 0 0 0 30,750 32,125 62,875 
			 Waste Watch 99,000 110,000 198,000 200,000 232,934 839,934 
			 National Waste Awareness Initiative 59,400 55,483 51,388 200,000 237,072 603,343 
			 Miscellaneous 'Regional Environmental Action Fund' Grants(47) 259,599 382,274 135,658 57,808  835,339 
			 Total 477,399 607,157 470,496 772, 558 815,131 3,142,741 
		
	
	(47) The regional element of the EAF was wound down in 200203. Regional EAF grants were of lower monetary value (starting from 3,500) and individual recipients are not listed.

HEALTH

Adverse Drug Reactions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adverse drug reactions have been reported by (a) nurses and (b) all health professionals to the electronic yellow card scheme since it was launched.

Rosie Winterton: By 12 December 2003, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) had received 77 reports of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) submitted by nurses using the electronic Yellow Card, out of a total of 293 electronic Yellow Card reports from all health professionals since the launch of the electronic Yellow Card on 31 October 2002. The MHRA is developing proposals to increase the awareness of the electronic Yellow Card by all healthcare professionals.

Age-related Macular Degeneration

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance on the use of photodynamic therapy for age-related macular degeneration within the NHS in England and Wales is implemented as soon as possible; and when he expects the implementation to be completed.

Rosie Winterton: Implementation of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance is underway. Patients are already receiving photodynamic therapy (PDT) on the national health service and we expect implementation of the NICE guidance to have been completed by July 2004. We are working with the NHS to facilitate the implementation and to give patients increased access to PDT during this time.
	NICE have recommended that PDT should be made available to individuals who have a confirmed diagnosis of classic with no occult subfoveal choroidal neovascularisation (CNV), and best-corrected visual acuity of 6/60 or better. PDT is not recommended for the treatment of people with predominantly classic subfoveal CNV (that is, 50 per cent. or more of the entire area of the lesion is classic CNV but some occult CNV is present) except as part of ongoing or new clinical studies.
	Department of Health officials held a meeting on 4 November 2003 with specialised services commissioners who are leading the implementation process. It was made clear to specialised services commissioners that full implementation is to be complete by July 2004 and that it is expected that services that have the capacity to increase more quickly should do so. It was also made clear that patients with suspected classic with no occult CNV, for whom treatment has been recommended, should be treated wherever capacity exists to do so.

Ambulance Service

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many trainee paramedics were employed by (a) Lincolnshire Ambulance Service and (b) each ambulance service in England and Wales on 1 December;
	(2)  many full-time paramedics were employed by (a) Lincolnshire Ambulance Service and (b) each ambulance service in England and Wales on 1 December.

John Hutton: Information on the number of ambulance staff employed in the National Health Service by grade and organisation in England is shown in the table as at September 2002, the latest figures available. Information is not held centrally on the number of training places for paramedics.
	Information for Wales is a matter for the devolved administration.
	
		NHS hospital and community health service: All ambulance staff in England and each specified Trust as at 30 September 2002  -- Whole time equivalent
		
			   All ambulance staff Ambulance manager Ambulance paramedic Ambulance personnel Ambulance trainee 
		
		
			 England  17,076 598 7,022 7,357 2,098 
			 5GT Great Yarmouth PCT 0 0 0 0 0 
			 5KC Durham and Chester-le-Street PCT 1 0 0 1 0 
			 5LA Kensington and Chelsea PCT 4 0 1 3 0 
			 5LC Westminster PCT 0 0 0 0 0 
			 5MV Wolverhampton City PCT 13 13 0 0 0 
			 RA9 South Devon Health Care NHS Trust 2 0 2 0 0 
			 RB1 Avon Ambulance Service NHS Trust 356 4 189 90 73 
			 RB4 Essex Ambulance Service NHS Trust 566 34 220 251 62 
			 RB5 Gloucestershire Ambulance Services NHS Trust 216 21 97 77 20 
			 RB6 Mersey Regional Ambulance Service NHS Trust 758 7 280 365 106 
			 RB7 Staffordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 314 12 203 96 3 
			 RB8 South Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance and Paramedic Services NHS Trust 459 54 130 262 14 
			 RBX Lincolnshire Ambulance and Health Transport Service NHS Trust 396 18 181 137 60 
			 RE6 Cumbria Ambulance Service NHS Trust 272 7 120 113 34 
			 RFU Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Ambulance and Paramedic Service NHS Trust 504 0 348 156 0 
			 RGH West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service NHS Trust 899 0 247 508 144 
			 RH1 Royal Berkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 299 0 99 88 111 
			 RHP Dorset Ambulance NHS Trust 250 9 167 60 14 
			 RHR Wiltshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 199 0 94 72 33 
			 RHY Two Shires Ambulance NHS Trust 370 74 92 117 87 
			 RJ1 Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust 18 0 0 18 0 
			 RJ9 Westcountry Ambulance Services NHS Trust 918 2 460 297 160 
			 RKA West Midlands Metropolitan Ambulance Service NHS Trust 927 17 493 219 198 
			 RKD Hampshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 373 20 173 126 54 
			 RL5 Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service NHS Trust 222 8 105 98 11 
			 RL6 Warwickshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 299 17 77 190 15 
			 RMA Greater Manchester Ambulance Service NHS Trust 758 41 327 278 111 
			 RMD Lancashire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 654 16 165 462 12 
			 RMZ East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust 871 2 457 394 19 
			 RNY Oxfordshire Ambulance NHS Trust 138 5 55 52 26 
			 RPH Kent Ambulance NHS Trust 619 18 189 324 88 
			 RPQ Surrey Ambulance Service NHS Trust 348 6 147 155 40 
			 RQ2 Sussex Ambulance Service NHS Trust 525 1 247 215 62 
			 RR2 Isle Of Wight Healthcare NHS Trust 67 3 38 24 2 
			 RRU London Ambulance Service NHS Trust 2,426 152 752 1,139 383 
			 RTJ Surrey Hampshire Borders NHS Trust 1 1 0 0 0 
			 RV1 Tees East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 623 17 295 237 74 
			 RV6 East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust 821 14 319 457 31 
			 RVK North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust 590 7 254 277 52 
		
	
	
		NHS hospital and community health service: All ambulance staff in England and each specified Trust as at 30 September 2002 -- Headcount
		
			   All ambulance staff Ambulance manager Ambulance paramedic Ambulance personnel Ambulance trainee 
		
		
			 England  17,712 606 7,147 7,856 2,103 
			 5GT Great Yarmouth PCT 1 1 0 0 0 
			 5KC Durham and Chester-le-Street PCT 1 0 0 1 0 
			 5LA Kensington and Chelsea PCT 4 0 1 3 0 
			 5LC Westminster PCT 1 0 0 1 0 
			 5MV Wolverhampton City PCT 15 15 0 0 0 
			 RA9 South Devon Health Care NHS Trust 2 0 2 0 0 
			 RB1 Avon Ambulance Service NHS Trust 370 4 196 97 73 
			 RB4 Essex Ambulance Service NHS Trust 623 34 233 294 62 
			 RB5 Gloucestershire Ambulance Services NHS Trust 222 21 103 78 20 
			 RB6 Mersey Regional Ambulance Service NHS Trust 792 7 281 398 106 
			 RB7 Staffordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 321 14 206 98 3 
			 RB8 South Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance and Paramedic Services NHS Trust 485 54 133 284 14 
			 RBX Lincolnshire Ambulance and Health Transport Service NHS Trust 396 18 181 137 60 
			 RE6 Cumbria Ambulance Service NHS Trust 311 5 121 151 34 
			 RFU Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Ambulance and Paramedic Service NHS Trust 521 0 351 170 0 
			 RGH West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service NHS Trust 1,025 0 252 628 145 
			 RH1 Royal Berkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 306 0 101 93 112 
			 RHP Dorset Ambulance NHS Trust 253 9 169 61 14 
			 RHR Wiltshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 208 0 98 77 33 
			 RHY Two Shires Ambulance NHS Trust 371 75 92 117 87 
			 RJ1 Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust 18 0 0 18 0 
			 RJ9 Westcountry Ambulance Services NHS Trust 927 2 464 301 160 
			 RKA West Midlands Metropolitan Ambulance Service NHS Trust 932 17 495 222 198 
			 RKD Hampshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 382 20 179 129 54 
			 RL5 Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service NHS Trust 227 9 107 100 11 
			 RL6 Warwickshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 304 17 77 195 15 
			 RMA Greater Manchester Ambulance Service NHS Trust 770 41 334 283 112 
			 RMD Lancashire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 692 16 166 498 12 
			 RMZ East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust 947 2 467 459 19 
			 RNY Oxfordshire Ambulance NHS Trust 144 5 60 53 26 
			 RPH Kent Ambulance NHS Trust 668 18 191 371 88 
			 RPQ Surrey Ambulance Service NHS Trust 357 6 152 159 40 
			 RQ2 Sussex Ambulance Service NHS Trust 535 1 254 218 62 
			 RR2 Isle Of Wight Healthcare NHS Trust 67 3 38 24 2 
			 RRU London Ambulance Service NHS Trust 2,462 153 770 1,155 384 
			 RTJ Surrey Hampshire Borders NHS Trust 1 1 0 0 0 
			 RV1 Tees East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 631 17 298 242 74 
			 RV6 East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust '827 14 320 462 31 
			 RVK North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust 593 7 255 279 52 
		
	
	Notes:Figures are rounded to the nearest whole number
	Source
	Department of Health Non-medical Workforce Census

Ambulance Service

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the percentage increase in emergency calls to ambulance trusts (a) over the last year and (b) over the last six years for (i) England and (ii) each ambulance trust.

Rosie Winterton: Information about emergency calls to ambulance trusts is published annually in a statistical bulletin. The latest data are in Ambulance Services, England: 200203, available at http://www. doh.gov.uk/sb0313.htm. The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Percentage increase in emergency calls from 199697 to 200203 and from 200102 to 200203 by ambulance service
		
			 Ambulance service Number of emergency calls in 200203 (thousand) Percentage increase 200203 over 199697 Percentage increase 200203 over 200102 
		
		
			 England 4,957.3 49 5 
			 Rural services
			 Cumbria Ambulance NHS Trust 33.9 79 15 
			 North East Ambulance NHS Trust(48) 197.8 32 2 
			 Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance NHS Trust(48) 164.4 23 6 
			 East Midlands Ambulance NHS Trust(48) 301.6 81 1 
			 Lincolnshire Ambulance NHS Trust 91.5 238 35 
			 East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust 156.8 77 8 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Ambulance NHS Trust 137.7 69 5 
			 Essex Ambulance NHS Trust 141.8 50 7 
			 Sussex Ambulance NHS Trust 159.4 42 5 
			 Kent Ambulance NHS Trust 144.8 72 26 
			 Dorset Ambulance NHS Trust 67.3 61 -7 
			 Hampshire Ambulance NHS Trust 119.1 80 27 
			 Wiltshire Ambulance NHS Trust 47.2 124 10 
			 Isle of Wight Ambulance Service (NHS Trust) 11.1 84 6 
			 Royal Berkshire Ambulance NHS Trust 64.8 37 9 
			 The Two Shires Ambulance NHS Trust 98.3 87 23 
			 Oxfordshire Ambulance NHS Trust 44.8 56 11 
			 West Country Ambulance NHS Trust 157.6 59 9 
			 Gloucestershire Ambulance NHS Trust 47.9 118 5 
			 Hereford and Worcester Ambulance NHS Trust 43.5 51 7 
			 Shropshire Ambulance Service 35.1 93 11 
			 Staffordshire Ambulance NHS Trust 121.0 85 1 
			 Warwickshire Ambulance NHS Trust 43.0 95 5 
			 Lancashire Ambulance NHS Trust 132.5 37 -3 
			 
			 Urban services
			 West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance NHS Trust 234.2 60 3 
			 South Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance NHS Trust 127.6 77 20 
			 Surrey Ambulance NHS Trust 99.1 30 1 
			 London Ambulance NHS Trust 1,030.6 25 -1 
			 Avon Ambulance NHS Trust 84.1 66 7 
			 West Midlands Metropolitan Ambulance NHS Trust 289.3 41 15 
			 Mersey Regional Ambulance NHS Trust 247.4 35 1 
			 Greater Manchester Ambulance NHS Trust 292.0 35 3 
		
	
	(48) Service created in 1999; comparisons with 199697 are with the aggregate total for the pre-merger services.
	Note:
	There may be more than one emergency call to a single incident
	Source:
	Form KA34

Arrhythmias

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will extend the National Service Framework to include targets for the diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The Government are committed to reducing the death rate from coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke and related diseases in people under 75 by at least 40 per cent. by 2010. The national service framework for CHD, published in March 2000, sets the agenda for the modernisation of CHD services over a 10 year period in order to achieve this target.
	The focus of the work on cardiac arrhythmia is on early diagnosis for this group of patients. The Department is investing in diagnosis, investigation and treatment of cardiac related problems. In November 2001, the Department announced 65 million from the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) and 60 million from the Department of Health to enable the rapid expansion of facilities for angiography, to fund 89 new or replacement catheterisation laboratories.

Audiology

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people are waiting for the fitting of hearing aids in each primary care trust, having already had an assessment; and what the average time between assessment and fitting has been in the last 12 months;
	(2)  what service standards he has set for NHS audiology services, with particular reference to the length of time for which patients for audiology services wait; and what action the Government is taking to improve performance against standards;
	(3)  if he will make it the policy of the Government that those who have been waiting for more than six months for an (a) audiology hearing assessment and (b) audiology assessment should be able to have such assessments (i) carried out privately and paid for by the NHS and (ii) carried out overseas at NHS expense;
	(4)  if he will list in respect of each primary care trust the number of people waiting for a hearing assessment, and the number waiting for more than six months.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 18 December 2003
	While there are no targets for waiting times for audiology services, we are taking action to tackle the causes of longer waits as part of our programme to modernise hearing aid services in England.
	The modernisation project team at the Royal National Institute for Deaf People and the Action On team from the NHS Modernisation Agency are working with sites to help them reduce waiting times. In this financial year, we are investing 1.56 million in specific initiatives to increase the capacity of individual audiology departments. We are introducing a new, more streamlined patient process in modernised sites. We are looking at ways to increase the number of trained audiologists in the longer term and are encouraging partnerships between national health service trusts and high street registered hearing aid dispensers to increase capacity and make NHS hearing aids available, free of charge, from an increasing number of convenient locations.

Care Homes

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will explain the methods used to arrive at his conclusions that (a) 80 per cent. of people would like to live at home rather than in a care home and (b) 10,000 care home vacancies exist; where these vacancies exist; in what geographical areas there is a shortage; and if he will publish the research documents.

Stephen Ladyman: A 1999 study titled, Attitudes and Aspirations of Older People: A Review of the Literature, by Boaz, A, et al and published by the Department of Social Security, found that up to 80 per cent., of older people would strongly prefer to remain in their own home for as long as possible.
	The source of the 10,000 spare capacity in care homes is Laing  Buisson's Care of Elderly People Market Survey 2003. The report indicates in Table 2.2 that there are 470, 600 places in care homes (excluding long stay NHS beds). According to Table 5.1 demand for care places is some 460,000 people. Thus, there is 'spare' capacity of over 10,000 places in the United Kingdom. Further detail about the care home market can be found in the report.

Communicable Diseases

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialist consultants in infectious diseases there are in the UK.

John Hutton: The table shows the number of consultants in the infectious diseases specialty in England as at 30 June 2003. Information for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are matters for devolved administrations.
	
		Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS): Staff in the infectious diseases specialty in England -- Number (headcount)
		
			  30 September 2002 30 June 2003 
		
		
			  
			  
			 All staff 241 (49) 
			 of which:   
			 Consultant 95 107 
		
	
	(49) Figure not available. The data are from the June mini census, which collected only consultant figures.
	Source:
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census.

Community Health Council Staff

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many former Community Health Council staff members have found continuing employment in the health service; how many have officially been declared redundant; and what the cost is to the Exchequer of the redundancy payments to be made to them.

Rosie Winterton: Figures taken at the end of October show that 119 community health council (CHC) staff had found alternative employment in the health service. We estimate that 470 staff were made redundant as a result of the closure of CHCs on 1 December 2003 at a total cost of redundancy in the region of 14.5 million. The final figures will be confirmed in January.

Complaints (Berkshire)

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what requirements were included in the contract awarded to SEAP for the provision of an independent complaints advisory service for Berkshire;
	(2)  what arrangements he has put in place to provide support and advice to patients with a complaint against the NHS in Berkshire pending establishment of an independent complaints advisory service;
	(3)  when he expects an independent complaints advisory service to be established for Berkshire.

Rosie Winterton: Contracts for the delivery of independent commission advocacy services (ICAS) were awarded through a competitive tendering exercise, which demanded providers to put in place good quality, accessible complaints support for people wishing to complain against the national health service. South East Advocacy Project (SEAP) was judged to meet the criteria and was approved to provide services in the Berkshire area. The Department and the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH) are monitoring the delivery of services against standards and performance indicators.
	ICAS was established on 1 September 2003 and has been available nationally, including for Berkshire, since 15 October 2003.
	More information can be found at the CPPIH's website at: http://www.cppih.org/index.html

Continuing Care (National Health ServiceResponsibilities) Directions 2003

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will publish the consultation responses his Department has received with regard to the draft Continuing Care (National Health Service Responsibilities) Directions 2003;
	(2)  when he will publish the Continuing Care (National Health Service Responsibilities) Directions 2003.

Stephen Ladyman: The Continuing Care (National Health Service Responsibilities) Directions will be published early in 2004. There were a number of responses to the consultation on the draft Directions, leading to amendments where appropriate. A summary of the responses will be available in due course through http://www.doh.gov.uk/consultations/index.htm

Deaf People

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many interpreters for deaf people are available in each hospital trust;
	(2)  how many interpreters for deaf people are employed by the NHS.

John Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Deaf People

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are in place to communicate with deaf mothers in labour in hospital maternity departments.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department is firmly committed to improving access to information services and levels of awareness of disability issues, in particular by supporting the national health service in meeting legislative requirements. We are working in partnership with the Disability Rights Commission to take forward a series of actions aimed at improving the experiences of disabled people in the health and social care system. A working group is being established to drive forward work on access and communications.

Dentistry

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental practices in (a) England and (b) each strategic health authority there were in each of the last six years; and how many (i) registered adults exempt from charges and (ii) registered children from nought to 18 years there were in each of the last six years.

Rosie Winterton: Table 1 shows the available information for the number of general dental service (GDS) practices in England and each strategic health authority in each of the last six years.
	Adult patient registrations are not available separately for patients exempt from charges because no charge is made for patients' registrations. The number of registered children at 30 September in each of the last six years is shown in Table 2.
	
		Table 1: General Dental ServiceNumber of GDS dental practices by strategic health authority at 31 August each year
		
			  Number of dental practices 
			 Strategic Health Authority 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			  
			  
			 England 8,681 8,736 8,784 8,624 8,597 8,623 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA 407 412 397 379 375 382 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA 281 294 296 304 300 303 
			 Birmingham and The Black Country SHA 371 376 375 368 370 372 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside SHA 442 435 432 411 399 396 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley SHA 176 178 179 179 176 176 
			 Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire SHA 231 228 232 226 224 227 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire SHA 326 331 328 323 328 324 
			 Dorset and Somerset SHA 220 218 223 219 221 230 
			 Essex SHA 238 244 247 247 246 248 
			 Greater Manchester SHA 475 469 471 459 450 451 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight SHA 309 317 315 316 317 313 
			 Kent and Medway SHA 279 281 279 267 271 276 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland SHA 233 240 242 234 234 237 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA 338 342 346 346 346 343 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire SHA 264 266 265 256 255 251 
			 North Central London SHA 280 283 285 283 285 287 
			 North East London SHA 242 243 243 235 236 239 
			 North West London SHA 440 440 444 431 420 421 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA 237 240 242 238 234 228 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA 233 235 237 232 233 238 
			 South East London SHA 273 248 253 251 246 248 
			 South West London SHA 275 282 281 276 279 274 
			 South West Peninsula SHA 293 294 304 292 285 289 
			 South Yorkshire SHA 219 219 218 214 209 213 
			 Surrey and Sussex SHA 518 523 536 544 553 559 
			 Thames Valley SHA 354 368 375 371 376 381 
			 Trent SHA 359 364 369 360 368 361 
			 West Yorkshire SHA 368 366 370 363 361 356 
		
	
	
		Table 2: General Dental ServiceEngland Registration of children aged under 18 -- Millions
		
			 September each year Number 
		
		
			 1998 6.78 
			 1999 6.82 
			 2000 6.85 
			 2001 6.78 
			 2002 6.73 
			 2003 6.64 
		
	
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board

Dentistry

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of Castle Point residents were registered with an NHS dentist in each of the last five years.

Stephen Ladyman: Registration rates are shown in the table for the health administration areas, South Essex Health Authority area for September in the years 1999 to 2001, Castle Point and Rochford Primary Care Trust (PCT) area for September in the years 2002 and 2003.
	
		General Dental Service: Proportion of the population registered with a dentist 1999 to 2003 in health areas containing Castle Point
		
			 At 30 September Percentage of population registered with a GDS dentist 
		
		
			 South Essex HA area  
			 1999(50) 44.6 
			 2000(50) 46.3 
			 2001(51) 45.5 
			   
			  Castle Point and Rochford PCT area  
			 2002(51) 45.5 
			 2003(51) 40.6 
		
	
	(50) 19982000 ONS mid year population estimates based on the 1991 census.
	(51) 2001 ONS mid year population estimates based on the 2001 census
	The registration rates are calculated by dividing the number of patients registered with a dentist who is located in the area by the estimate of the total population for that area. Some patients attend a dentist in a different area from the one in which they live and so the registration and population numbers do not cover the same people.
	Registrations lapse if patients do not return to their dentist within 15 months and so the registration figures exclude patients who have not been to their general dental service dentist within the past 15 months. Also excluded from the figures are patients who receive dental treatment from other national health service dental services including dental access centres.

Departmental Policies

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the impact of his Department's policies on the Regent's Park and Kensington, North constituency since 1997.

John Hutton: Detailed information on the impact of departmental policies nationally is set out in the Department of Health Annual reports. A copy of the most recent report Department of HealthGovernment Expenditure Plans 2003/2004 is available in the Library and on the Department's website.
	The impact of policies is not examined by constituency and statistics collected centrally by the Department are not collected on a constituency basis.
	My hon. Friend's constituency falls within the geographical area covered by Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea Primary Care Trusts (PCT), Chelsea and Westminster National Health Service Trust, St. Mary's NHS Trust and the former Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster Health Authority (HA).
	
		Allocations to Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster HA
		
			  Allocation Cash increase Real terms increase 
			 Period 000 000 Percentage 000 Percentage 
		
		
			 199798 201,166 8,744 4.54 4,800 2.49 
			 199899 212,220 10,976 5.45 5,296 2.63 
			 19992000 286,339 22,944 8.71 15,960 6.06 
			 200001 321,111 31,368 10.83 23,536 8.12 
			 200102 361,234 33,942 10.37 25,131 7.68 
			 200203 436,168 45,127 11.68 34,607 8.96 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures for 199798 and 199899 are not comparable to the later figures, as these are for Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) only.
	2. From 19992000 allocations have included HCHS, GMS cash limited and prescribing components (200203 saw the addition of HIV/Aids and GMS non cash limited components).
	Kensington and Chelsea PCT will receive allocations of 202.06 million in 200304, 221.87 million in 200405 and 243.04 million in 200506. These represent a cash increase of 57.71 million or 31.14 per cent. over the three years, compared to a national average of 30.83 per cent. Kensington and Chelsea PCT will be 15.37 per cent. over target by 200506.
	Westminster PCT will receive allocations of 263.88 million in 200304, 289.44 million in 200405 and 316.79 million in 200506. These represent a cash increase of 74.58 million or 30.79 per cent. over the three years, compared to a national average of 30.83 per cent. Westminster PCT will be 29.88 per cent. over target by 200506.
	Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster HA and the trusts within it have also received additional funding for certain policies. This includes:
	745,000 for accident and emergency modernisation in 200001.
	Nationally, in 200001 recurrent investment of 50 million was available for the improvement of cancer services. For 200102, an additional 255 million was available nationally for cancer care.
	3.2 million, 599,000 and 905,000 to reduce waiting lists and times in 199899, 19992000 and 200001 respectively.
	1.6 million to expand critical care services in 200001.
	2.4 million and 1.6 million to deal with winter pressures in 199899 and 200001 respectively.
	3.1 million for heart disease services in 200001.
	I am informed by North West London Strategic Health Authority that in 200203, the Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea PCT's overall allocation included the following earmarked funding for certain policies (there has been no earmarked funding in 200304):
	845,000 for mental health.
	675,000 for coronary heart disease.
	855,00 for cancer.
	625,000 for information management and technology.
	94,000 for primary care.
	4.785 million for capacity.
	One of the public's principal concerns about the NHS has been waiting times. Waiting list information for St. Mary's and Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trusts is shown in the tables.
	
		Patients waiting for elective admission: St. Mary's NHS Trust
		
			 Month end Total waiting list Patients waiting over nine months Patients waiting over12 months 
		
		
			 March 1997 5,801 539 149 
			 October 2003 3,726 87 0 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health form KH07 and Monthly Monitoring.
	
		Waiting times for first consultant out-patient appointment St. Mary's NHS Trust
		
			  GP written referrals 
			  Patients seen Patients still waiting 
			 Quarter Total Percentage seen within 13 weeks More than 13 weeks More than 26 weeks 
		
		
			 Q4 199697 9,903 86 3,871 1,884 
			 Q2 200304 10,370 79 1,106 0 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health form QM08.
	
		Patients waiting for elective admission: Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust
		
			 Month end Total waiting list Patients waiting over nine months Patients waiting over12 months 
		
		
			 March 1997 1,888 67 22 
			 October 2003 3,108 88 0 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health form KH07 and Monthly Monitoring.
	
		Waiting times for first consultant out-patient appointment Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust
		
			  GP written referrals 
			  Patients seen Patients still waiting 
			 Quarter Total Percentage seen within 13 weeks More than 13 weeks More than 26 weeks 
		
		
			  
			  
			 Q4 199697 9,055 93 1,138 310 
			 Q2 200304 7,459 83 503 0 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health form QM08.

Departmental Staff

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 10 December, Official Report, columns 5023W, on departmental staff, 
	(1)  if he will list the job titles of each member of staff in the Health and Social Care Delivery Group;
	(2)  if he will list the job titles of each member of staff in the Health and Social Care Standards and Quality Business Group;
	(3)  if he will list the job titles of each member of staff in the Strategy and Business Development Group.

Rosie Winterton: The Department is currently undergoing an extensive change programme. The basic framework has been agreed and was detailed in my previous answer. Job titles and details of the structure are subject to confirmation by group directors.

Departmental Staff

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 10 December, Official Report, columns 5023W, on departmental staff, what the activities are of each business group.

Rosie Winterton: The activities of the Department's three business groups are as follows:
	Deliveryresponsible for supporting the delivery of the targets set out in the NHS Plan. These include reducing waiting times, increasing choice for National Health Service patients, securing resources for NHS and local government organisations, ensuring the NHS has the capacity to deliver services to patients, and integrating NHS information technology systems to deliver modernised patient services.
	Standards and Qualityresponsible for the majority of our policy-making responsibilities, ranging from leading-edge scientific developments and medical innovations, such as stem cell research, to lifestyle issues such as obesity. The group will set standards and define quality in health and social care services, maintain and promote health and well being, ensure safety of patients and service users, and deliver some of the Government's key programmes, such as tackling coronary heart disease and cancer.
	Strategy and Business Developmentresponsible for important corporate services (such as communications, corporate human resources and information technology), ensuring the Department is run effectively and efficiently. The group also leads important programmes and policies (such as system reform, equality, medicine and pharmacy, user experience and involvement and professional leadership).
	The new structure of the Department is as follows:
	Department of Health Mangement Board
	Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive Sir Nigel Crisp
	John Bacon, Sir Liam Donaldson, Hugh Taylor, Sian Jarvis, Sarah Mullally, Richard Douglas, Directory of Strategy
	Health and Social Care Standards and Quality
	Group DirectorSir Liam Donaldson
	804 posts
	Health Protection, International Health and Scientific Development
	Research and Development
	Quality and Standards
	Health Improvement
	Care Services
	Regional Public Health
	Group Business Team
	Strategy and Business Development
	Group DirectorHugh Taylor
	815 posts
	Group Business Team
	Corporate Management and Development
	Hugh Taylor
	Corporate Human Resources
	Information Services
	Customer Services
	Medicines Pharmacy and Industry
	Secretariat
	User Experience and Involvement
	Sarah Mullally
	Improving Patient Experience Programme
	The Professions
	Communications
	Sian Jarvis
	Media Centre Campaign
	Management Strategy
	Policy Communications
	Programmes and Planning
	Strategy
	Strategy Unit
	Corporate Analytical Centre
	Customer Intelligence
	System and Policy Development
	Health and Social Care Services Delivery
	Group DirectorJohn Bacon 
	626 posts
	Access
	Finance and Investment
	Workforce
	Information Systems and National Programme Delivery
	Programmes and Performance
	Group Business Team

Departmental Staff

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the rationale was for reducing the number of posts in his Department by 1,400; and from which policy areas the posts will be taken.

Rosie Winterton: We recognised that the Department must change to reflect recent changes in the national health service and social care. It was clear that, with the Government's focus on shifting power to the frontline and the formation of many independent bodies, the Department's role and functions would reduce. We decided a reduction of at least a third was necessary to reflect our new role in providing strategic direction and leadership to the NHS and social care.
	The radical Change Programme will reduce the size of the core Department by 1,400from over 3,600 posts to 2,200by October 2004. This represents a 38 per cent. reduction at the centre. Half of those posts will not be replaced and will be achieved by efficiency savings, while the rest of the reduction will result from transferring posts to other national bodies, which are also the subject of review.
	We have indicated our intention to maintain the current proportion of Departmental staff in Leeds and London. The final numbers at each location are yet to be finalised. We estimate that most of the reductions will be through natural turnover or early retirements. A voluntary scheme has already been launched for those over 50. The Department has had a 'vacancy freeze' in place for the last six months, to ensure staff are given the best opportunities to seek alternative posts, and we are actively monitoring turnover. The Department is using professional support to help those staff affected by the changes.

Diagnostic and Treatment Centres

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has commissioned for an evaluation of diagnostic and treatment centres.

John Hutton: An evaluation of National Health Service treatment centres has been commissioned from a consortium made up of University College London and the University of Southampton, under the NHS service delivery and organisation research programme. The evaluation began in March 2003 and is being carried out over three years.

Doctors' Earnings

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the earnings of (a) a locum doctor and (b) a doctor with a permanent position within an NHS trust in the last year for which figures are available.

John Hutton: Estimated annual earnings of hospital doctors as at August 2002 (the latest figures available) are given in the table.
	
		
			 Staff grade Mean year earnings () 
		
		
			 Consultant 82,936 
			 Non-consultant career grades 56,751 
			 House officer 28,201 
			 Other hospital grades 58,103 
			 Registrars 52,623 
			 Senior house officer 41,124 
		
	
	Information is not held centrally on the average annual earnings of locum doctors.

Domiciliary Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many domiciliary care providers have (a) applied for and (b) met the registration standards.

Stephen Ladyman: As at 30 November, 4,322 domiciliary care providers have applied for registration. 3,155 of these applications have been validated and are being processed, and 243 domiciliary care providers met the registration standard.

Domiciliary Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many domiciliary care providers have been registered by the National Care Standards Commission in each region.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Region Services registered 
		
		
			 South West 72 
			 South East 70 
			 London 40 
			 West Midlands 20 
			 North West 20 
			 North East 7 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 6 
			 East Midlands 6 
			 Eastern 2 
			 Total 243 
		
	
	Note:
	Information as at 30 November 2003.

Drug Eluting Stents

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how he plans to incorporate guidance from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence on drug eluting stents into the National Standards Framework on coronary heart disease;
	(2)  whether his Department has estimated the cost to the NHS of the increased use of drug eluting stents following guidance from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.

Melanie Johnson: The national service framework for coronary heart disease (NSF CHD), published in March 2000, sets the agenda for the modernisation of CHD services over a 10 year period. Standard 10 deals with revascularisation and states that
	'NHS Trusts should put in place hospital-wide systems of care so that patients with suspected or confirmed coronary heart disease receive timely and appropriate investigation and treatment to relieve their symptoms and reduce their risk of subsequent coronary events'.
	The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance on drug eluting stents (DES) provides clinical guidance highlighting patients who would most benefit from the treatment. NICE guidance is for healthcare professionals and patients and their carers to help them make decisions about treatment and healthcare and to inform their delivery of the NSF standard.
	The NICE guidance estimates that the additional cost of drug eluting stents would be between 6 million and 7.2 million per year, assuming the use of about 12,000 DES costing an additional 500 to 600 each.

Electronic Care Record System

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what mechanism he proposes to fund the estimated cost of the planned NHS electronic care record system; and where the money for the upkeep of the system will come from.

John Hutton: The national health service electronic care record is one element of the national programme for information technology (NPfIT) in the national health service. Central funding for the NPfIT in the NHS is to be made available from the Spending Review 2002 as follows: 370 million in 200304: 730 million in 200405 and 1.2 billion in 200506.
	Future maintenance costs will form part of the ongoing financial management processes within future Spending Review envelopes. By 2008, IT funding will be in line with the levels proposed within the Wanless Review; that is, to four per cent. of total NHS expenditure.

Electronic Recruitment

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what right existing publishers will have to republish listings of jobs advertised via the electronic recruitment project; and how listings will be made available to publishers.

John Hutton: Jobs which appear on the electronic recruitment site are with national health service employers. These employers are independent statutory corporations. They own the copyright to the job vacancies. The Department of Health hosts the vacancies on their behalf. The Department does not own the copyright and is not able to allow existing publishers to copy vacancies from the site for advertising in other media. The electronic recruitment project is intended to reduce the cost to the NHS of advertising job vacancies and to allow the NHS to make better use of its resources.
	The project team is committed to working with existing publishers both through the digital content forum and bi-lateral meetings with individual publishers to develop the service. NHS employers will require a combination of advertising media to meet their recruitment requirements.

Electronic Recruitment

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the percentage of NHS trusts required to use the electronic recruitment service to achieve the desired cost savings.

John Hutton: The estimated cost savings are based upon 75 per cent. of potential national health service job vacancies being advertised via the electronic recruitment service.

Electronic Recruitment

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to charge NHS users for the services provided by the planned electronic recruitment project; and whether NHS trusts' top line recruitment budgets will be altered to fund the electronic recruitment project.

John Hutton: The Electronic Recruitment Service will be funded by the Department until April 2006. The method of funding after that date is still to be determined.

EU Health Insurance Cards

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the introduction of EU health insurance cards in the UK.

John Hutton: At the Barcelona European Council, the European Union member states, including the United Kingdom, signed up to a new European health insurance card to replace the existing paper form E111, to be introduced by 1 June 2004. Those countries which do not have an existing infrastructure for health card issue may apply for an extension of the date of introduction to 31 December 2005. The UK has obtained such an extension.
	A decision has yet to be made on how the Council decision will be implemented in the UK. A scoping study is currently underway.

Food Supplements Directive

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what further practical assistance will be given to industry by (a) his Department and (b) the Food Standards Agency in relation to the remaining ingredients that will not benefit from the more flexible interpretation of the requirements for dossier production under the provisions of the Food Supplements Directive agreed on 14 October; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: In drafting The Food Supplements Regulations (England) 2003, the Government have already made full use of the flexibilities available in the Food Supplements Directive. The Food Standards Agency secured a valuable meeting between representatives of United Kingdom food supplements manufacturers and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on 14 October to discuss dossier requirements, and has disseminated EFSA's advice to interested parties.

Foundation Status

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many expressions of interest in membership have been received for each of the first wave of foundation applicant trusts.

John Hutton: Information on expected membership numbers will be included in the formal applications made to the Independent Regulator. These applications will be placed in the Library.

Foundation Status

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place copies of foundation trust applications in the Library.

John Hutton: The Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 provides for National Health Service trusts to submit their applications for NHS foundation trust to the Independent Regulator. I will arrange for copies of the applications submitted to the Independent Regulator to be placed in the Library.

Foundation Status

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which applicants for foundation hospital trust status have indicated to him that they are considering pulling out of the application process; and what reasons they have cited.

John Hutton: All 25 national health service trusts who were invited have submitted preparatory materials seeking the Secretary of State's support for an application for NHS foundation trust status.

General Practitioners

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures are used to collect central statistics to monitor progress towards the 48-hour general practitioner access target; and if he will publish the latest statistics available.

John Hutton: Performance is monitored through a monthly survey by primary care trusts of their general practices.
	In October 2003, this survey showed that nationally, 94 per cent. of patients were able to be offered an appointment to see a general practitioner within two working days.

General Practitioners

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from primary care trusts about the effect of high property prices on general practitioners setting up new premises; what his Department's policy is on the issue; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: I am not aware of any general concerns raised by primary care trusts about general practitioners experiencing difficulties setting up new premises because of high property prices. The arrangements to reimburse general practitioner premises costs take account of differing property prices.

General Practitioners

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of the adult population of England are registered with a general practitioner.

John Hutton: At 30 September 2002 (the latest published data), 41,635,243 people aged 16 years and over were recorded as registered with a general practitioner or provider of personal medical services in England.
	It is not possible to express these figures accurately as a percentage of the adult population, as the phenomenon of list inflation' means that registered populations are typically larger than actual populations. This phenomenon arises where a patient moves his or her registration and for a period may be registered on two lists. Similarly, an individual who dies or moves abroad may remain on a list for a time.

Geriatricians

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) consultant geriatricians and (b) geriatricians below the level of consultant were employed in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

John Hutton: Information relating to Wales is a matter for the Welsh assembly.
	The available information is shown in the table.
	
		Hospital, public health medicine and community health services (HCHS): medical staff within the geriatric medicine specialtyEngland(52) -- Numbers (headcount)
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 March 2003 June 2003 
		
		
			 All staff 2,527 2,560 2,505 2,572 2,558 2,707 (53) (53) 
			 Of which 
			 Consultant 677 712 719 767 781 861 883 894 
			 All other grades 1,850 1,848 1,786 1,805 1,777 1,846 (53) (53) 
		
	
	(52) Data as at 30 September 1997 to 2002, 31 March 2003 and 30 June 2003.
	(53) Denotes not available. This is due to data for March and June 2003 being taken from the mini censuses which collected consultants only.
	Source:Department of Health Medical and Dental Workforce Census
	Between September 1997 and June 2003, consultant numbers in geriatric medicine increased by 32 per cent.

Give as You Earn Scheme

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of staff in his Department contribute to a charity through the Give as You Earn scheme; how much money is donated to charity per month by staff in his Department through the scheme; and what steps he is taking to encourage greater participation in the scheme by staff in his Department.

Rosie Winterton: On average around 2 per cent. of the Department's staff (100 people) contribute to a charity through the Give as You Earn scheme. For the month of November 2003, 11,124.30 was donated, (this figure will change each month as staff join and leave the scheme).
	A range of initiatives are periodically undertaken including inviting charitable organisations onto the Department's premises to promote themselves and encourage staff participation.
	Giving to charity through Give as You Earn is unlikely to reflect fully the charitable activity of the Department's employees. Giving to charity is a very personal and often private choice. Many of the Department's employees may donate to charity or volunteer their time and skills.

GP Referrals

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what restrictions there are on direct referral by general practitioners to (a) therapists, (b) hospital diagnostics and (c) other general practitioners with a specialist interest; if he will list the reasons for these restrictions; and what plans his Department has to remove those restrictions.

John Hutton: There are no centrally imposed restrictions on the direct referral of patients by general practitioners to therapists, hospital diagnostics, or other GPs with a specialist interest.

Haemophilia

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many haemophiliacs were diagnosed in each year since 1975;
	(2)  how many haemophiliacs died from blood product acquired infections in each year since 1975;
	(3)  how many haemophiliacs in the UK have been treated in each year since 1975 for (a) HIV, (b) hepatitis C and (c) CJD acquired from contaminated blood products.

Melanie Johnson: The United Kingdom Haemophilia Centre Doctors Organisation estimate that 40 new Haemophilia A cases and three to four Haemophilia B cases are expected each year. The number of expected mild haemophilia cases is not available.
	Viral inactivation of blood products and screening for HIV were first introduced in 1985. The number of haemophilia patients infected with HIV/AIDS from infected national health service blood products, registered with the Macfarlane Trust, who have died before and since 1988 when the Trust was set up, is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number or patients infected with HIV/AIDS 
		
		
			 Pre 1988 87 
			 1988 39 
			 1989 54 
			 1990 64 
			 1991 72 
			 1992 78 
			 1993 88 
			 1994 95 
			 1995 90 
			 1996 48 
			 1997 33 
			 1998 22 
			 1999 19 
			 2000 24 
			 2001 13 
			 2002 12 
		
	
	The latest information from the United Kingdom Haemophilia Centre Doctors Organisation show 212 patients with haemophilia have died from liver disease.

Health Care Commissioning

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish a statement of the costs, with particular reference to costs relating to NHS reference costs, of commissioning (a) independent and (b) private sector health care by the NHS.

John Hutton: Information will be included in NHS Reference Costs 2003, which I expect to publish shortly. The publication will include separate expenditure data for treatments undertaken by national health service and non-NHS providers. The data does not, however, distinguish between not-for-profit and commercial providers.

Healthy Living Centres

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department monitors the usage of healthy living centres.

Melanie Johnson: The Department of Health has commissioned the Tavistock Institute to carry out an evaluation of the healthy living centre programme against key health priorities such as cancer and coronary heart disease prevention. The usage of healthy living centres is monitored by the New Opportunities Fund by absolute numbers as well as by gender, ethnicity and age.

Hospital Beds (Christmas)

Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he has put in place to ensure adequate provision of hospital beds over the Christmas period in Waverley and Guildford.

Rosie Winterton: In line with our policy on Shifting the Balance of Power, responsibility for local services now rests with local trusts.
	Cranleigh Village Hospital and Haslemere Community Hospitals will be closed between 19 December 2003 and 5 January 2004. This is a traditionally quiet period and community hospital beds at the Haslemere site were closed at this time during 2000 and 2001. However, patients will be able to return to the hospitals at short notice if necessary.

County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals Trust

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many North Durham patients chose to have operations carried out at Bishop Auckland hospital in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many patients have been admitted to Bishop Auckland Hospital as a result of beds being unavailable at the University Hospital, Durham.

Melanie Johnson: This information is not available centrally in the format required. The Department collects data on a trust wide basis. For the year 200203, County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals National Health Service Trust recorded 108,524 Finished Consultant Episodes.

County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals Trust

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients who are under the care of consultants in County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust have been treated in the private sector, and at what cost, in the last 12 months.

Melanie Johnson: This information is not collected centrally.

County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals Trust

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the non-executive members of the County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust; and in which parliamentary constituency each lives.

Melanie Johnson: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Board member Constituency 
		
		
			 Angela Ballatti (Chair) City of Durham 
			 Kathryn Larkin-Bramley City of Durham 
			 John Dixon Bishop Auckland 
			 Valerie Ward North West Durham 
			 Anthony Wolfe Bishop Auckland 
			 Charles Magee Sedgefield

County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals Trust

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the costs were of establishing the County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust; and how much of these costs was associated with establishing management structures.

Melanie Johnson: In establishing the County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals National Health Service Trust, no additional funding was provided to North Durham Healthcare NHS Trust and South Durham Healthcare NHS Trust. Costs, including those for transferring from two management structures to a single structure, were contained within trust budgets.

Influenza

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the impact on (a) public health and (b) NHS capacity of a new influenza strain entering the United Kingdom.

Melanie Johnson: All strategic health authorities have developed stringent winter plans to cope with increased seasonal demand for health services. These set out escalation procedures, such as the opening of additional beds, in the event of increased pressure on the national health service.
	Hospital trusts have also been preparing for winter by profiling elective activity through the year to ensure maximum availability of beds for the seasonal winter rise in emergency admissions.

Learning Services

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements he has put in place for co-ordination between NHS Plus and the NHS University in the delivery of learning services to external health care providers.

Rosie Winterton: NHS Plus is a completely separate service to the NHS University. NHS Plus is a network of 108 national health service trusts which delivers occupational health services to non-NHS employers, including non-NHS health care providers. It does not deliver learning services. The NHS University, on the other hand, is a new kind of educational institution which will provide learning programmes for all levels of staff who work for the NHS with a view to improving service delivery in health and social care and modernisation of the NHS.

LifeBytes

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the (a) content of and (b) links from the LifeBytes website's section on sex and relationships.

Melanie Johnson: LifeBytes is part of the Wired for Health website: a series of websites managed by the Health Development Agency on behalf of the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills. LifeBytes provides information for young people on a range of health related issues such as healthy eating, physical activity, drugs alcohol and tobacco, as well as sex and relationships.
	It is important that young people have access to information and know where to go for advice. The links from LifeBytes provide further sources of guidance.

Maintenance Backlog

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the backlog maintenance cost to reach (a) estate code condition B, (b) fire safety standards and (c) health and safety standards for (i) England, (ii) each strategic health authority and (iii) each NHS trust for the latest year for which figures are available.

John Hutton: NHS Estates collects data on backlog maintenance from National Health Service trusts through its Estates Return Information Collection. The latest data, relating to 200203, is still the subject of statistical validation. I will write to the hon. Member with the information as soon as possible.

Mental Health (Drugs and Alcohol)

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the provision of specialist NHS services for people who are diagnosed as having a mental illness who also have a drug or alcohol dependency.

Rosie Winterton: The Government have not undertaken an assessment of specialised services for people diagnosed with a mental illness who also have a drug or alcohol dependency.
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for compiling, analysing and disseminating information relating to United Kingdom economic, social and demographic statistics. Their report 'Psychiatric morbidity among adults living in private households, 2000' is available on the website at www.statistics.gov.uk. Along with others due for publication next year, the report contains valuable information about the prevalence of mental disorders including those with problems relating to substance misuse among adults over the age of 16 in private households.

Mental Health (Drugs and Alcohol)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients of mental health hospitals have been found in possession of illegal drugs while resident in the last year; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what measures he is taking to prevent the sale of illegal drugs to patients of mental health hospitals.

Rosie Winterton: Guidance on the use of illegal substances in in-patient and day-care settings is being prepared and will be issued in early 2004.
	The guidelines will support managers and clinicians in developing local policies promoting the safety of patients, staff and visitors and the effective care and treatment of patients who misuse substances.
	The Counter Fraud and Security Management Service (CFSMS) was launched in April 2003 with a new remit encompassing policy and operational responsibility for the management of security in the national health service. The remit is broad but has been defined as protecting people and property. One of the key areas which the CFSMS will be addressing is ensuring the security of drugs, prescription forms and hazardous materials.
	No central records are kept of number of patients who are caught misusing illegal substances.

Mental Health Services (Children and Adolescents)

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the impact of expenditure in the last five years on mental health services for children and adolescents.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department has made a significant investment in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) of some 105 million over the period 200003.
	A number of positive outcomes have been reported including improved access to specialist services, the development of new services for groups that traditionally have found it difficult to access CAMHS and better support to other agencies. In particular, this additional investment has led to a significant increase in multi-disciplinary and joint working across professions and agencies, engaging key local players in the development of the service.
	But this is only the first stage in a continuing programme of radical improvements in the quality and quantity of CAMHS. Our current public service agreement target provides for an expansion of the service by at least 10 per cent. per year for the next three years, leading to a comprehensive service, able to respond to all children with mental health needs in all areas, by 2006. This development is underpinned by over 250 million of additional funding, including 140 million for local authorities.

Mental Illness

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what groups he has assessed as being most at risk from and prone to mental illness resulting in them being a danger (a) to themselves and (b) to others.

Rosie Winterton: The Office for National Statistics survey Psychiatric Morbidity Among Adults Living in Private Households, 2000 shows the association between the presence of mental health problems and key socio-demographic and economic characteristics for those with different types of mental disorder. It also examines the relationship between the presence of mental health problems and physical complaints. The survey is available from http://www.statistics.gov.uk/
	In addition, the National Institute for Mental Health in England has recently published the first annual report of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England. The report, available from http://www. nimhe.org.uk, sets out risk factors for suicide and deliberate self-harm.
	Information about factors associated with homicide by people with mental illness is also contained in the National Confidential Inquiry reports, which are available from http://www.national-confidential-inquiry.ac.uk/nic/

Mental Illness

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many ex-offenders have in each of the last five years been (a) identified with and (b) treated for a mental illness sufficiently severe for them to have been regarded as a danger to themselves or others, broken down by region;
	(2)  how many people in each region, in each of the last five years, broken down by age, ethnicity and sex have been identified as a danger to (a) themselves and (b) others as a result of mental illness.

Rosie Winterton: Information about people, whether or not they have a history of offending, who may represent a danger to themselves or others is not collected in the format requested.
	However, statistical bulletin In-patients formally detained in hospitals under the Mental Health Act 1983 and other legislation, England: 199293 to 200203 (http://www.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0322.htm) contains detailed information on people detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 and other legislation.
	The annual statistical bulletin Statistics of mentally disordered offenders (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hosb1403.pdf) contains information about patients subject to a restriction order admitted to, detained in or discharged from hospitals. It also gives information on the admission to hospital of mentally disordered offenders not subject to restriction orders.
	The Office for National Statistics survey Psychiatric Morbidity Among Adults Living in Private Households, 2000 (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/) shows the associations between the presence of mental health problems and key socio-demographic and economic characteristics for those with different types of mental disorder. It also examines the relationship between the presence of mental health problems and physical complaints.
	In addition, the National Institute for Mental Health in England has recently published the first annual report of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England. The report (http://www.nimhe.org.uk) sets out risk factors for suicide and deliberate self-harm.
	Information about factors associated with suicide and homicide by people with mental illness is also contained in the National Confidential Inquiry reports, which are available from http://www.national-confidential-inquiry.ac.uk/nic/

Mental Illness

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many young people leaving care have been (a) identified with and (b) treated for mental illness sufficiently severe for them to have been regarded as a danger to themselves or others, broken down by region.

Stephen Ladyman: This information is not collected centrally. As set out in the Department of Health Priorities and Planning Framework 200306, we are establishing a total of 50 early intervention teams to reduce the duration of untreated psychosis to an average time of less than three months (individual maximum less than six months). They will also provide support for the first three years for all young people who develop a first episode of psychosis by 2004.
	The latest information available shows 27 early intervention teams are already in place. Work continues in assisting local services to establish teams in line with the service specifications outlined in the Mental Health Policy Implementation Guide.

Mental Illness

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what resources were made available (a) centrally and (b) by health authority for the treatment both on a residential and outpatient basis of people thought to be a danger to (i) themselves and (ii) others as a result of mental illness in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: Mental health resources made centrally available for dangerous and severe personality disorder, high secure services and prison in-reach since 200102 are detailed in the table.
	
		millions
		
			  Allocation 
		
		
			  
			  
			 200102 11.05 
			 200203 20.06 
			 200304 25.067 
		
	
	Resource expenditure by health authorities/primary care trusts (PCTs) is not collected by client group and therefore the specific spend on services for people thought to be a danger to themselves and others as a result of mental illness cannot be separately identified.
	Allocations to PCTs for mental health in 200304 have been in line with the planning and priorities framework, which is in turn based on the NHS Plan. Following Shifting the Balance of Power, PCTs are responsible for commissioning services for their local populations. They do this in the context of national priorities; the local services that are already available; the evidence; and the resources. These arrangements permit resources to be more closely matched to the needs of local people and enable PCTs and their partner organisations to take full account of strengths or gaps in local services.

Mental Illness

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residential treatment facilities are open, broken down by region, for people identified with a serious mental illness; and how many facilities were in operation in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not available in the requested format. However, the hospital activity statistics system, which is available at http://www. doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/, provides information on the average daily numbers of available and occupied residential beds for people with mental illness within national health service organisations.
	In addition, the National Care Standards Commission operates a central register of social care and private and voluntary health care services throughout England. The register includes residential care services for people with mental illness and is available at http://www. carestandards.org.uk/registered+services+directory/default.htm

Mental Illness

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice has been issued to healthcare professionals when identifying and treating patients thought to be a danger to (a) themselves and (b) others as a result of mental illness; and how many attacks were made on healthcare professionals in the last 12 months, broken down by region.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has issued advice on the identification and treatment of those patients thought to be a danger to themselves or others as a result of mental illness.
	The first national suicide prevention strategy in England was launched by my right hon. Friend, the then Minister of State for Community (Jacqui Smith) on 16 September 2002 and the first report on progress, which is available at www.nimhw.org.uk, was published on 11 December 2003.
	For those detained under the Mental Health Act, practice should follow what is described in the Mental Health Act Code of Practice. For those who may be a danger to others, control and restraint procedures should be regularly reviewed and audited in line with good clinical governance.
	The Counter Fraud and Security Management Service (CFSMS), launched in April 2003, has a remit encompassing policy and operational responsibility for the management of security in the national health service. As a key preventative measure to tackle physical assaults on staff and professionals in the NHS, the CFSMS has developed a national syllabus for the provision of conflict resolution training for staff and professionals working in the NHS and is in the process of developing a separate national syllabus for the provision of conflict resolution and physical intervention training in the mental health and learning disability settings. The National Institute for Mental Health in England also has a programme of work on the management of violence in mental health settings.
	The table shows the number of incidents indicated in the Department's survey of violence, accidents and harassment reports for 200203.
	
		
			 Organisation type Estimated total number of incidents Estimated number of incidents per 1,000 staff per month 
		
		
			 Acute trusts 38,000 6 
			 Primary care trusts 21,000 12 
			 Ambulance trusts 5,000 16 
			 Mental health and community trusts 51,000 34 
			 All organisations 116,000 11 
		
	
	Totals include a small number of incidents in strategic health authorities and special health authorities. Totals have been estimated to include organisations which did not provide figures.

Mental Illness

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds were available in each type of facility, broken down by region, for the containment and treatment of individuals thought to be a danger to (a) themselves or (b) others as a result of mental illness in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The requested data is not collected by client group and therefore the specific number of beds for people thought to be a danger to themselves and others as a result of mental illness cannot be separately identified.
	Average daily numbers of available beds open overnight and residential care beds in the mental illness sector for each of the last five years are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Beds open overnight Residential care beds 
		
		
			 199899 35,692 1,364 
			 19992000 34,173 1,299 
			 200001 34,214 1,280 
			 200102 32,783 1,193 
			 200203 32,753 1,633

Mindnseek Website

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost of the website www. mindnseek.net; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: It is not possible to give an estimated cost for the production of the 'Mindnseek' website as it was just one element of a broader online project with readthesigns.org,with a total cost of 70,000.

MRSA

Denzil Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish guidelines setting out the circumstances in which general practitioners can record MRSA as a secondary cause of death.

Melanie Johnson: Guidance is already available and general practitioners, hospital doctors and coroners should include methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), or any other condition that they believe contributed to death, on the certificate of cause of death. Instructions on how to complete this are at the front of every book of certificates. Doctors are expected to complete the certificate to the best of their knowledge and belief. If the doctor believes that MRSA contributed to the death he or she should write it in the appropriate part of the certificate and doctors do include MRSA on death certificates.

National Institute for Clinical Excellence

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when the findings of the investigation into the implementation of National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance being undertaken will be published;
	(2)  which organisations have been formally consulted as part of the investigation into the implementation of National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance;
	(3)  what the scope of the investigation into the implementation of National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance is;
	(4)  who is leading the investigation into the implementation of National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance.

Melanie Johnson: Professor Mike Richards, the National Cancer Director, is leading the investigation into the causes of the apparent variation in the uptake of cancer drugs approved by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.
	This work is at an early stage, but representatives from the national health service and pharmaceutical industry have already been consulted, together with the Cancer Taskforce, which includes representatives from the voluntary sector.
	Findings are likely to be available in spring 2004.

National Institute for Clinical Excellence

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the Government will put in place tracking mechanisms to monitor the implementation of NICE guidance.

Rosie Winterton: We see a key role for the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection to monitor the implementation of National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance during the course of its reviews of national health service bodies. Strategic health authorities monitor the performance of primary care trusts and are also in a position to access progress on the implementation of NICE guidance.

NHS Contracts

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contracts his Department has awarded to KBR; the value of the contracts; and if he will estimate the total fees to date.

John Hutton: Following a formal competitive procurement exercise, Kellogg, Brown  Root (KBR) were awarded a contract to provide professional programme management and planning services to the national programme for information technology in the National Health Service. The total fees paid from March 2003 to date are 5.8 million.

NHS Contracts

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contracts have been awarded under the NHS National Programme for information technology.

John Hutton: The national programme for information technology in the National Health Service focuses on the key developments that will make a significant difference to improving the patient experience and the delivery of care and services. There are four key deliverables: electronic appointment booking, an electronic care records service, an electronic prescribing service and an underpinning IT infrastructure. The following contracts have been awarded:
	to British Telecom to set up and run the national NHS care records service, worth a total of 620 million over 10 years;
	to Accenture as the local service provider (LSP) in the North East, worth a total of 1,099 million over 10 years;
	to BT as the LSP for London, worth a total of 996 million over 10 years as the LSP in the North East and London clusters;
	to SchlumbergerSema to provide core services for the national Electronic Booking System, valued at 64.5 million over five years.
	The remaining three LSP contracts for the Southern, Eastern, North West and West Midlands clusters, and the national NHS network (N3) will be awarded in due course.

NHS Live

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that NHS Live 2004 is not used to communicate party political messages.

John Hutton: NHS Live is a learning programme and event for national health service and social care staff, patients and stakeholders, designed to speed up the pace of healthcare improvement for patients. In line with other Department of Health corporate activity, NHS Live will not be party political.

Nurse Recruitment

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many international nurse recruitment agencies have failed to adhere to the code of practice on ethical recruitment; and how many such agencies NHS organisations have been instructed not to deal with.

John Hutton: Of the agencies on the code of practice list, the Department has asked 17 agencies for further details of their recruitment activities to ensure that they are compliant with the code. To date, none has been removed from the list, as no breaches of the code have been identified.

Nurse Recruitment

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish a list of nursing agencies which comply with the code of practice on ethical nursing recruitment.

John Hutton: The Department has published a list of agencies which adhere to the code of practice on its website: www.doh.gov.uk/international-recruitment.

Nurse Recruitment

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) salary and (b) support costs of his Department's Director of International Recruitment for Health Services are in 200304.

John Hutton: The former Director of International Recruitment left the post on 30 April 2002, on completion of her secondment.

Nurse Recruitment

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which countries have made written representations to his Department regarding recruitment of nurses; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The Government has nurse recruitment agreements with Spain, the Philippines, India and Indonesia. A Memorandum of Understanding has recently been signed with the Government of South Africa.

Nursing and Midwifery Council

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish advice given to the Nursing and Midwifery Council regarding (a) the title of Registered Health Visitor, (b) the Register of Health Visitors and (c) the Third Register.

John Hutton: Consultation responses by the Department on parts of the Nursing and Midwifery Council register and the existence, function and title of the third part are available in the Library.

Osteoporosis

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates the Department has made of the potential savings to be made by preventing osteoporotic fractures.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department has made no estimate of the potential savings to be made by preventing osteoporotic fractures rather than treating them.
	The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) have been asked to draw up clinical guidelines for the national health service on prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. The guideline will refer to the work, update and extend the evidence base of previously published guidelines and technology appraisals and those currently under development where appropriate, including NICE clinical guidelines on assessment and prevention of falls. NICE is also conducting an appraisal of the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of prevention and treatment of osteoporosis treatments to give doctors the latest evidence based information on the most effective treatments.

Patients Forums

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the budget for each patients forum, broken down by (a) staff and (b) non-staffing costs.

Rosie Winterton: The Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health is resourced to support patients forums in England. It has contracted with not-for-profit voluntary sector organisations called forum support organisations to provide support services to patients forums. The details of those individual contracts are not available due to commercial confidentiality. The requirements for individual patients forums are agreed locally by each forum support organisation, taking into account the individual needs of that forum.

Patients Forums

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many members each patients forum had at 1 December, broken down by (a) sex and (b) ethnicity.

Rosie Winterton: At 1 December 2003 the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH) had received over 5,000 applications from members of the public volunteering to become members of the 572 patients forums. Each forum requires seven members to operate and at 1 December 2003, 498 forums had seven or more volunteers.
	The information requested broken down by sex and ethnicity is not currently available. However the CPPIH will be analysing the demographic profile of all patients forums as part of its work to ensure that forums reflect their local communities.

Perinatal Pathologists

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the vacancy rates for perinatal pathologists in (a) England and (b) each region in each year since 1997.

John Hutton: The Department of Health does not collect data on perinatal pathology. Perinatal pathology is a sub specialty of histopathology.

Pharmacy Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital trusts have antibiotic pharmacists in post; and what the cost is in each case.

John Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Pharmacy Services

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what basis it was decided that a threshold of 15,000 square metres should be used to determine which shopping developments should be exempt from full entry requirements in relation to his Department's proposals for the deregulation of pharmacy services.

Rosie Winterton: The object in choosing shopping developments of 15,000 square metres or more was to include developments which currently attract many consumers but which may have limited retail pharmacy provision.
	If a development provides relatively self-contained facilities (that is, shoppers visit retail outlets in that development but tend not to venture into adjacent local neighbourhoods) the current Regulations impose restrictions on competition and access to national health service services by people choosing to visit the development.
	Exempting such pharmacies will offer the prospect of immediate improvements in access to pharmaceutical services at a time and place which patients and consumers choose with the impactif anyon existing pharmacies diluted over a wide geographic area.
	The consultation document, 'Proposals to Reform and Modernise the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 1992', was published on 29 August 2003, with the consultation period running until 21 November 2003. An advisory group has been set up to consider how best to implement the reforms. The group is currently reviewing the responses to the consultation and is due to report to Ministers shortly.

Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation will meet (a) to review the clinical trials and (b) to decide on a policy on whether to include the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine into the childhood immunisation programme;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect on incidences of disease in adults in the USA of routine infant pneumococcal immunisation; and what plans he has for such routine immunisation.

Melanie Johnson: The clinical trials are assessing:
	the level of protection that the vaccine offers infants in the United Kingdom;
	the optimal schedule of this vaccine in infants;
	whether there is a need for a booster dose of vaccine in the second year of life to maintain protection; and the impact that introducing this vaccine to the childhood schedule has on the level of protection given by the other vaccines.
	The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) will meet to review the clinical trials as soon as they have been completed.
	The independent expert advisory body, the JCVI, is currently examining the evidence of the potential benefits of introducing pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to the infant immunisation schedule. What is clear is that there are many uncertainties in the evidence, in particular in measuring the burden of pneumococcal disease, and the amount of disease that is expected to be prevented by a vaccine in both the short and longer term because it protects against only seven of the numerous strains of pneumococcus.
	Research is being undertaken to try to answer the questions, and the JCVI is assessing the evidence as it develops.
	Encouraging data is emerging from the United States on the impact the conjugate vaccine has had on reducing pneumococcal disease both in the children immunised and also in adults. The JCVI is assessing the evidence as it develops.

Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the comparative costs of (a) vaccinating children against pneumococcal disease and (b) treating the disease and its complications.

Melanie Johnson: Studies are in place to assess the cost effectiveness of introducing pneumococcal vaccine into the childhood immunisation schedule by investigating the burden of pneumococcal disease in the United Kingdom and how much of this is vaccine preventable. The ongoing studies take into account the cost of treating the disease and its complications.
	What is clear is that there are many uncertainties in the evidence, in particular in measuring the burden of pneumococcal disease, and in the amount of disease that is expected to be prevented by a vaccine in both the short and longer term because it protects against only seven of the numerous strains of pneumococcus.

Prescriptions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of NHS prescriptions has been in each of the last six years; and how much of this was recouped by prescription charges.

Rosie Winterton: The available information is shown in the tables.
	
		Number of prescription items. Net Ingredient Cost (NIC), and average NIC per item of all drugs dispensed in the community in England, 199798 to 200203
		
			  Number of prescription items (millions) Net Ingredient Cost( millions) Average NIC per item () 
		
		
			 199798 504.57 4,464.86 8.85 
			 199899 516.34 4,799.46 9.30 
			 19992000 534.12 5,435.18 10.18 
			 200001 561.37 5,651.31 10.07 
			 200102 591.87 6,281.07 10.61 
			 200203 624.38 7,018.56 11.24 
		
	
	
		Income from prescription charges, England, 199798 to 200203
		
			   million 
		
		
			 199798 320.9 
			 199899 341.3 
			 19992000 366.7 
			 200001 388.7 
			 200102 407.5 
			 200203 423.0

Prescriptions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) free and (b) chargeable NHS prescriptions have been given in each of the last six years.

Rosie Winterton: The available information is shown in the tables.
	
		Number of prescription items of all drugs dispensed in the community in England, 199798 to 200203 (million)
		
			  Community pharmacists and appliancecontractors only 
			  Total charged Total exempt Total 
		
		
			 199798 67 392 458.49 
			 199899 68 402 469.80 
			 19992000 73 413 485.84 
			 200001 76 434 509.40 
			 200102 79 459 537.64 
			 200203 81 486 567.42 
		
	
	
		All dispensed items (community pharmacists and appliance contractors, and dispensing doctors) (million)
		
			  Total charged Total exempt Total 
		
		
			 200102 86 506 591.87 
			 200203 89 535 624.38 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Total charged includes 'charge at point of dispensing' and 'prepayment certificates'.
	2. Total exempt includes 'exempt and NHS Low Income Scheme', 'no charge contraceptives' and 'personally administered' drugs.

Prescriptions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what protocols written by his Department govern incentives received by (a) general practitioners and (b) other prescribing staff to prescribe certain prescriptions; how compliance with these protocols is monitored; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Primary care trusts (PCTs) in England may run prescribing incentive schemes to encourage the quality and cost-effectiveness of prescribing in general practice. Incentive payments generated through such schemes should be used for the benefit of the patients.
	We expect PCTs to develop protocols to suit local circumstances and to monitor their effectiveness.

Prisoners

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what responsibility the Commission for Health Improvement has for (a) prisoners' and (b) ex-offenders' health care.

John Hutton: The Commission for Health Improvement is responsible for conducting reviews and investigations of health care for which national health service bodies or service providers have responsibility. This responsibility encompasses the review or investigation of health services for prisoners where these are commissioned or provided by primary care trusts.

Prisoners

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the NHS primary care and hospital treatments complaints procedure extends to health care provided in prison.

Rosie Winterton: The national health service complaints procedure does not currently extend to health care provided in prison. However, with the forthcoming transfer of prison health commissioning responsibility from the Prison Service to the NHS, prisoners will have access to the NHS complaints process where services are commissioned by the NHS.

Prisoners

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether targets for follow-up treatment for mental health patients extend to women with histories of self-harm leaving custody.

Rosie Winterton: The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness recommended that all discharged in-patients who have severe mental illness or a recent history of deliberate self-harm should be followed up within one week.
	This recommendation applies to people in prison who have been receiving care from specialist mental health services for any mental health problem, including self-harm.

Prisoners

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the services he makes available to prisoners aged over 65 years.

Stephen Ladyman: All prisons and their local national health service partners undertake regular joint assessments of prisoners' health needs and are responsible for providing, through local delivery plans, any additional services that may be required to meet unmet need identified during the assessment process.
	The Department of Health and the Home Office have commissioned, for completion in spring 2004, a health strategy for older prisoners. This will include recommendations on the location and type of residential accommodation needed by older prisoners, the nature of the prison regime, and individual healthcare planning and throughcare arrangements. It will also identify the core principles that should apply to the management of older prisoners throughout their period in custody, including the transfer to residential or nursing homes of prisoners with degenerative diseases.

Psychiatrists

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the (a) rate and (b) number of vacancies for consultant psychiatrists in (i) England and (ii) each strategic health authority in each of the last six years.

John Hutton: The information requested has been placed in the Library. Vacancy rates have only been collected by the Department since March 1999. For March 1999 to 2000 data was collected for the whole psychiatry group only. From 2001 to 2003, data is available by psychiatric speciality. These data have been provided by health authority and regional office from 1999 to 2001 and by strategic health authority and Government office from March 2002.

School Nurses

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each (a) strategic health authority and (b) primary care trust the number of school nurses in each year since 1996.

John Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

School Nurses

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each (a) strategic health authority and (b) primary care trust the three month vacancy figures for school nurses in each year since 1996.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many school nurses are employed in each primary care trust.

John Hutton: To date, information on the three month vacancy rate and the number of school nurses has not been collected centrally.
	This information will be available in the future. The September 2003 census and the March 2004 Vacancy Survey will include data on school nurses.

Security Passes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many security passes have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen by staff in his Department in the last 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: From the records available, we estimate that about 110 Department of Health headquarters building photo passes have been lost or stolen in the period 17 October to 16 December 2003.

Skin Cancer

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans he has to promote a long-term public health education programme on how to reduce the risk of skin cancer;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the benefits of the SunSmart Campaign; and whether further funding will be provided to continue the campaign.

Melanie Johnson: For details of the SunSmart campaign and wider plans to increase the profile of skin cancer and methods of effective sun protection I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Tamworth (Brian Jenkins) on 9 December 2003, Official Report, columns 37172W.
	The effectiveness of the SunSmart campaign is being evaluated. The lessons learnt will be fed into future development of the campaign and will inform decisions on funding.

Smallpox Vaccination

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people (a) the Department would like to see vaccinated and (b) have so far been vaccinated against smallpox as part of the Government's plans; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement of 15 December 2003, Official Report, column 125WS. The smallpox plan requires that each standard Government region should have a regional response group, consisting of five response teams, each comprised of five members. In England, this requires 261 people to be vaccinated. That target has been reached and exceeded. In addition, a target of 90 ambulance staff to be vaccinated has been set for England.

Smoking

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on banning smoking in public places; and what plans he has to propose legislation on this topic.

Melanie Johnson: The Government has consistently said that smoke-free places are the ideal. We have also said that we do not think a universal ban on smoking in all public places is justified while we can make fast and substantial progress in partnership with industry. Over the years we have seen real increases in smoke-free workplaces. In 1996, 40 per cent. of people reported their workplace as being completely smoke-free. The latest figures for 2002 show this has risen to 50 per cent. We look forward to faster and more substantial progress from employers and businesses.

Speech and Language Therapists

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the ratio of speech and language therapists to the population was in England in each year since 1993.

John Hutton: Information on the number of qualified speech and language therapists per 100,000 population is shown in the table. Between 1997 and 2002, the headcount ratio has increased from 10 to 12.
	
		NHS Qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff within the speech and language therapy area of work and rate per 100,000 of the population, 19932002
		
			  staff inpost rate per 100,000 ofpopulation 
			  Whole-time Equivalent headcount whole-time equivalent headcount 
		
		
			 2002 4,365 5,960 9 12 
			 2001 4,207 5,685 9 12 
			 2000 4,066 5,430 8 11 
			 1999 3,939 5,185 8 11 
			 1998 3,831 5,031 8 10 
			 1997 3,742 4,871 8 10 
			 1996 3,585 4,705 7 10 
			 1995 3,354 4,335 7 9 
			 1994 3,344 4,076 7 8 
			 1993 3,469 4,201 7 9 
		
	
	Notes:Figures are rounded to the nearest whole number
	Source
	Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census
	ONS Population Census

Suicide

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the national suicide prevention strategy.

Rosie Winterton: The National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) published the first annual report of its suicide prevention programme on 11 December 2003. It sets out progress made so far and further action that needs to be taken in the medium and longer term. The report incorporates suicide rates for the year 2002, the most recent available, which show that the number of suicides is at the lowest rate recorded. An electronic version of the report is available at http://www.nimhe.org.uk/downloads/78129-DoH-SuicidePrevention.pdf. A copy of the report is available in the Library.

Tinnitus

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list research projects on tinnitus funded by his Department in the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Details of research projects on tinnitus funded by, or of interest to, the national health service are available on the national research register (NRR) at www.doh.gov.uk/research/nrr.htm. The NRR currently contains details of six on-going and 26 completed projects on tinnitus.
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) funds research on hearing, some of which would be relevant to tinnitus. Figures for MRC spend on hearing research are available for the years shown in the table:
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 200102 3.94 
			 200001 4.96 
			 19992000 3.34 
			 199899 3.49 
			 199798 3.23 
		
	
	The MRC always welcomes high quality applications from the scientific community for support for research into any aspect of human health, including tinnitus, and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding.

Transplants

Kevin Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how he intends primary care trusts to use the guidance set out in the Transplant Framework for England, Saving Lives, Valuing Donors, to tackle organ donation among ethnic minorities.

Rosie Winterton: The Department continues to explore concerns about the relatively low rate of organ donation with ethnic minority communities. The South Asian Campaign was launched in February 1999 specifically to raise awareness within the South Asian community which is prone to kidney disease. A campaign launched in 2002 is targeting the black community, which has similar problems. The Department also funded the National Kidney Research Fund to explore methods of raising awareness in local ethnic minority communities. Primary care trusts will be able to build on these programmes to develop and monitor local initiatives.

Transplants

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes have been made to transplant services since 2001.

Rosie Winterton: Since 2001 the Department has provided around 7 million via UK Transplant to boost organ donation through the employment of
	35 donor liaison nurses working with staff in critical units to help identify potential donors;
	23 living donor co-ordinators working with families considering live donation;
	10 non-heartbeating programmes to increase the number of organs from non-heartbeating donors.
	The number of transplants taking place since 2001 has increased. In 200203 the changes led to 6 per cent. more kidney transplants; 6 per cent. more liver transplants; 12 per cent. more cornea transplants; and 5 per cent. more thoracic transplants.
	But it is not only Government which saves lives through transplantation. Saving Lives,Valuing DonorsA Transplant Framework for England, published on 7 July 2003, identifies the part the Government, individuals, the national health service and other stakeholders can play in:
	encouraging people to donate organs and tissues;
	raising the quality and effectiveness of transplant services;
	improving the clinical outcomes and quality of life of people who receive an organ or tissue transplant;
	increasing the supply of viable organs and tissues for transplantation.

Transplants

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure there is a transplant co-ordinator in every hospital.

Rosie Winterton: All hospitals with transplant services have recipient transplant co-ordinators in post to care for those patients who receive transplants.
	In addition, there are currently 100 donor co-ordinators based in 21 teams across the United Kingdom and there are 35 donor liaison nurses who are part of the donor co-ordinator team based in intensive care units.

West Sussex Social Care NHS Trust

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by the West Sussex Social Care NHS trust on funding nurses to travel to Australia; and what the purpose of their visits was.

Rosie Winterton: In line with our policy on Shifting the Balance of Power, responsibility for local services now rests with local national health service trusts. In the same way continuing professional development and post-registration training needs for all NHS health care staff are determined locally through skills auditing of teams against priority local needs and through the appraisal process.
	I am informed by the Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority that two senior nurses attended the 14th International Symposium for the Psychological Treatment of Schizophrenia in Melbourne to present a paper on early intervention into psychosis, and to acquire and share knowledge and good practice.
	In addition to the conference itself there were also visits to assertive outreach and early intervention services.
	The hotel bills and airfare came to 3,000 and were purchased through Hourds who are on the national contract. There were also subsistence expenses of around 200 each.

Working Time Directive

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the overtime needed in each NHS trust arising from the implementation of the Working Time Directive.

John Hutton: The organisation and delivery of services is a matter for individual trusts. The national health service has been aware of the implications of implementing the Working Time Directive for doctors in training since 1998, and planning for it forms part of overall NHS planning.
	Strategic health authorities are currently ensuring that plans will achieve compliance by 2004.

Working Time Directive

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of implementing the EU working time directive for each (a) NHS hospital trust and (b) primary care trust in England.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Ribble Valley (Mr. Evans) on 15 December 2003, Official Report, column 790W.

Wigs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to end payments for wigs for chemotherapy patients in England.

Rosie Winterton: Our policy is to give priority to helping people who may have difficulty in paying charges, rather than extending the exemption arrangements. We have no plans to change the current charging arrangements. However, people receiving certain benefits or tax credits do not have to pay. Those who would otherwise have to pay may seek help through the National Health Service Low Income Scheme.